Chanel's Vitalumière Loose Powder Foundation

Chanel's Vitalumière Loose Powder Foundation in Shade Beige 30 

I definitely fit in the 'easy makeup with great looking skin' category -- upon reading Vivianna's review of Chanel's Vitalumière Loose Powder Foundation late last month and witnessed just that, I knew I needed to get my butt over to my local Chanel counter to get the 411.

Let's break things down to get to the heart of the matter.

Powdery goodness

The packaging is a tad luxe, typical Chanel, yet functional at the same time. To dispense the loose powder from the reservoir gently tip the jar upside down with the lid screwed on tight and allow gravity to do the rest. Give the jar a little shake or tap the base, turn it right side up and remove the cap. You'll notice a small amount of powder waiting for you on the underside of the lid.

Built-in silky filter

The lightly perfumed mica powder is finely milled, but Chanel went one step further by including a baleen-type filter to help break apart any settled bits. The delicate screen also acts as a net to keep the loose powder from abandoning ship.

Every jar comes with a mini kabuki brush -- talk about soft! Personally, I prefer to use my own full size foundation brush as I feel like I can control the application process with a longer handle. Props to Chanel for including a quality brush.

Swatch of Beige 30 - can you even see it?

The shade selection is astoundingly small and could potentially jeopardise interested shoppers. Here's a snapshot of the five shades available for purchase..

Beige 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 (from left to right)

To perk up my pale, post-winter skin I purchased Beige 30 (the centre swatch); Beige 20, whilst lighter worked as well, but I was going for a natural, warmer oomph.

The powder itself is really easy to apply, we're talking a small amount of required buffing. Or as Chanel puts it, "flip, dip and sweep." Seriously. On average it takes me less than two minutes to get things looking even. I've also found that I don't need a lot of product -- thank goodness, cuz this stuff isn't cheap.

After medium to full coverage? Go in with another helping or two without stressing about things turning cake-y, it just won't happen.

Yesterday's glow-y situation featuring a soft and diffused finish

When a makeup artist compliments your glowing skin, you know you're onto something pretty great. It really was a my skin but better moment and I am beyond thrilled by the unexpected kudos I received. Chanel's promise of "natural second-skin result with no hint of thickness and an amazingly even and smooth skin texture" is now my complexion's reality. 

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Chanel's Vitalumière Loose Powder Foundation:

• $98.00 AUS / £55.00 GBP / $79 USD (I think)

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — hopefully I won't burn through this stuff too quickly!

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Don't know how I managed to get my paws on Chanel's Rouge Allure Gloss in 17 Supreme, but I did. If you're the type who'd move mountains for Burberry's Sweet Pea, then you'll die for this! I'll have a review up later this week 💋

New gal on the block: Dusty Girls

Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara (bottom) and Pacific Ocean Shimmer Natural Shimmering Lip Gloss (top)

Why Dusty Girls you ask? Well this sister brand to Moogoo is emulating the skins' look and feel after spending a day in the country -- slightly dusty, but glowing. While I can't attest to this sort of experience personally having grown up in a fairly Americana suburb myself, I do, however, appreciate their ethos.

This petite makeup collection (eight items in total, with a few colour options) IMHO, targets three specific groups:

1. A young demographic, e.g., tweens and late teens
2. Makeup newbies 
3. Low maintenance gals on the go

Imagine Britney Spears' "I'm not a girl, not yet a woman" country bumpkin charm prior to breaking up with Mr. JT.

The packaging

The packaging is sweet and easy to bust into if you're impatient like me; colour coordinated boxes, complete with application tips, house these goodies. As for the tubes, they are rubberised (similar to NARS) in order to assist maintaining a proper hold during application (klutz-free, for the win).

Application tips

Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara

Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara - Ahh, pitch black, clump-free lashes -- it's a mascara that lengthens and plumps, it's practically a dream. Then the nightmare rudely interrupts, prepare yourselves for panda eyes! Dun-dun-dun!!

Over the past several weeks I've worn Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara out and about with Scott and during the day to work. For short stints this mascara is perfect, but after hour five or so you've reached panda bear territory.

Wearing Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara

From another view

Pacific Ocean Shimmer Natural Shimmering Lip Gloss

Opalescent shimmer

Swatch of Pacific Ocean Shimmer Natural Shimmering Lip Gloss

Pacific Ocean Shimmer Natural Shimmering Lip Gloss - An easy-peasy gloss which leaves your lips looking like the crests on the waves of an ocean (hey, Hawaii). It's non-sticky, almost colourless, moisturising and lasts around three hours tops.

My lips, but better

Dusty Girls does not test on animals.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Dusty Girls' Night Fall Natural Mineral Mascara and Pacific Ocean Shimmer Natural Shimmering Lip Gloss:

• $18.50 AUS (mascara) and $14.50 AUS (lip gloss)

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• Mascara: 5 out of 10 bags — These eyes are crying
• Lip Gloss: 8 out of 10 bags — Grab and go

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Wish I could test their products out in store as this range is exclusively sold online ATM.

*PR sample provided  –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

Beauty in a tick: Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil

Bigger. Bolder. Better.

If my brows could talk, that's what they'd say.

My Lily Collins/Cara Delevingne mission is just about as old as this blog -- close to three years running and I see no end in sight. On a good day these brows of mine might appear full, but the sheer wizardry I possess in these small hands is downright frightening.

Behold the before and the after...

Before: Brows filled in with MAC's Mystery (a plum brown)

After: Brows filled in with Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette

I only require a minor amount tweaking by filling in the gaps which still lay bare from years of over plucking. 

My switch to powder was fruitful as it was a gentler approach. Waxier formulas proved to be too harsh for my delicate situation -- traditional pencils gripped and tugged to the point where I was pulling out freshly grown hairs. We were working at cross purposes.

Always wanting more for my brows, I switched over to Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil and I'm so glad I did.

For me, it really comes down to the anatomy of this defining tool.

Built-in spooley brush

The spooley brush is luxe, soft, helps to comb through product and keeps errant hairs in check.

Triangular shaped, retractable tip

The clay hued tip lines, defines and refines my sometimes unkempt brow situation. The product is firm yet soft in its ability to lay down colour without tugging or pulling.

No sharpener required. Win!

Swatch of Soft Brunette

This two-fer streamlines my makeup bag and completes my brows.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Hourglass' Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil:

• $48.00 AUS / $32.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags — My eyebrows are thriving.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Thinking about buying a backup or two.

C'est Si Bon! Dior Addict Fluid Stick

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks

Dior first released these back in February and I didn't really give them much thought. "Meh, another lipstick, but I'm not biting." Once Dior dropped them in the US, my intrigue bloomed tenfold as the reviews trickled in. It's funny how the blogging community can simultaneously help and hinder my makeup addiction.

When I mulled the description of the Dior Addict Fluid Stick over in my mind, I couldn't help but picture Easy Spirit's ad -- looks like a pump, feels like a sneaker. The lipstick cross gloss is the fanciest mutt I've ever seen. From the sleek, sterile, syringe-like lucite tube to the glimpse of colour cradled tightly within the bullet shaped mould, this dose of lipstick is just what the doctor ordered.

Dior Addict Fluid Sticks (from top to bottom): Mirage, Vertigo and Kiss Me

Soft gloss wrapped in vanilla melts onto the lips, the slick then dries down to a sheen and finally the stain fades leaving you just where you started less than five hours prior. The cilia-laden applicator sweeps product across the lips with delicacy and efficiency -- I really love me some multi-tasking applicators.

The texture is slippery, never sticky. In saying that, I did notice the colour pooled on my lower lip, close to the centre. As a result I had to perform a small amount of clean up. Dior's newest formula doesn't dry out the lips, however it will hug flakes close like a long lost relative if you fail to exfoliate prior to application.

Swatches from left to right: Mirage, Vertigo and Kiss Me

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Mirage

Mirage is a tangerine blush muted down with brown undertones. Average wear time is around four hours.

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Mirage

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Vertigo

Vertigo is a raspberry pink leaning red and perhaps my favourite of the three reviewed here. Average wear time for Vertigo clocks in around five hours.

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Vertigo

Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Kiss Me

Kiss Me is a greyish light pink that surprised me, because I normally steer clear of powder puff pink. Kiss Me's longevity is comparable to Mirage. 

Wearing Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Kiss Me

The testing of all three colours has been rigorous to say the least since being placed in my hot little hands almost four weeks ago. Dior Addict Fluid Stick delivers true colour in the form of lip gloss with lipstick attitude.

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Dior Addict Fluid Stick:

• $50.00 AUS / $35.00 USD

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 9 out of 10 bags — Next to Burberry, this is my second fave lipstick formula.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• 'Tis expensive, but I just snapped up Wonderland and Pandore. This girl's always gotta have options.