Hidden Gems #11 - MP Pop by Models Prefer Liquid Lipstick in Fuchsia | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem is the MP Pop by ModelsPrefer in the colour Fuchsia. Could this be a new liquid lipstick formula from Models Prefer? I don't actually know much about this product because it came in a holiday collection about a couple Christmas' ago and its only a tiny little size. It doesn't have much information on the packaging which is incredibly helpful, not. I found this when I was doing a deep cleanse of my lip gloss drawer. I was swatching everything to see if I still wanted to keep them and I came across this, it's not exactly a lip gloss and it's not a complete matte liquid lipstick. It's just a liquid lipstick, I don't know how else to describe it.

I haven't heard anyone else talking about this product so I thought I would mention it in this week's Hidden Gems. It lasts a really long time, though its not transfer proof, if you eat a massive burger, you will get lipstick on your chin. It stays a long time because it has a stain effect on your lips. When first applied it has a little bit of a thickish creamy consistency but after that sort of transfers throughout the day, it leaves a really nice stained affect. 

The colour is very much a bright neon hot pink, there's nothing subtle about this colour. Perfect for a pop of colour or for a bright summer-y look. Hopefully they bring this back in another holiday collection because it is really different from anything else I have.

Sorry about the really short Hidden Gem but as I said, I don't have many details on the product so I worked off the information I had. If you've tried this product, let me know what you thought of it in the comments below.

Hidden Gems #10 - Chi Chi Glitter Eyeliners | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem are the Chi Chi Glitter Eyeliners, they have previously come in sets of three or like this recent holiday collection, a set of 6. The eyeliners themselves don't have names which is a little annoying so I have to reference them by colour.

I don't think these are a permanent product that Chi Chi sells but they do seem to come back often, so you just have to wait if you missed out. The shades that the most recent set came with are light blue, dark blue, purple, bronze, gold and black. The colours don't actually have any pigment to them, they are glitters only. Some of them are very pigmented, the lighter colours especially, the only one that doesn't quite match the quality of the other ones is the black one. I have done swatches of all of them, then swatches of them on top of a black liquid liner, then a swatch comparison next to the Essence Crystal Eyeliner.

Essence on the left, Chi Chi on the right

The darker colours come off more glittery when on top of the black but the lighter shades come off more glittery when on their own. So that might be fun to experiment with. The light blue one almost changes colour completely when on the black, it has this peacock green-blue iridescent look which I think looks amazing. The black eyeliner looks more silver/gun metal compared to the Essence one which may be a little annoying for some people but I really like the colour, I think it's unique and it means that I won't be doubling up on products.

The packaging is pretty much exactly what I'd expect, there's nothing really different compared to any other eyeliner. But for $30 or less, depending whether you buy it on sale, these are definitely worth the investment. I hope they do more colours in the future, I definitely think a red or pink is over due.

Hidden Gems #9 - Profusion 6 Eyeshadow Palettes | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem are the Profusion 6 eyeshadow palettes. I have 3 of them though I know I have seen another one. These can be found at the Reject Store, Kmart and IGA as far as I know.

These palettes are incredibly cheap, I don't remember the exact price but it's either $10 or under. The packaging itself is pretty cheap but packaging is not essential. I do like it though, I think the ombre/gradient effect looks quite cute. The lid magnetises shut so there's no buttons to click or anything. It has a mirror in the palette which is always nice especially when travelling. The palettes do come with foam applicators but I don't keep those so I threw them away. 

The three palettes I have are the Drama palette, Shimmer palette and the Smoky palette. The shades are absolutely stunning, though they are all shimmers. There are no mattes in these palettes. These shades do have glitter in them, it's not too chunky but it does get everywhere. When swatching the colours they can come off a little chalky but they are really smooth and buttery. They are highly pigmented, especially when first swatching them on your fingers.

These swatches are of the 1st and 4th shadows in each palette, in L-R order, Smoky, Shimmer and Drama

I would definitely recommend checking these palettes out, especially for a starter, or a budget friendly makeup lover. They have a nude/naked type palette though I don't think it has matte shades in it. I hope this was helpful for you guys, if it was please let me know in the comments down below.

Hidden Gems #8 - Essence Lip Liners | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem, in honour of Lip Week, is the Essence Lip Liners. These definitely need a lot more love in the beauty world than they are given. When I had to pick a lip product for this week's Hidden Gem, there was no doubt about it that these were my Gems.

So far I only have 6 of the colours, I'm fairly certain those are the only colours they stock in Australia because I haven't seen any other colours anywhere. I do know that they have other colours in other countries which is a little annoying that they don't stock them here because they are amazing. The colours that are available are 05 Soft Berry, 06 Satin Mauve, 07 Cute Pink, 08 Red Blush, 11 In The Nude, 12 Wish Me A Rose.

L-R: 05, 06, 07, 08, 11, 12

The lip liners themselves are in the pencil form, which means they aren't retractable or anything but they don't drag on your lips. They are very pigmented and leave a velvet feel on the lips. It's not creamy but it doesn't hurt to apply them. My most used one is probably 11 In The Nude though 06 Satin Mauve comes in a very close second. So if you are interested in picking these up, I would probably start there depending on what colours you wear. The colour range is very nice despite Australia not stocking all the shades. There aren't any purples or oranges which can be a little disappointing, though most brands don't make those kinds of lip liner colours anyway.

The Essence lip liners retail for about $2 each and you can purchase them at Target, Priceline or anywhere else that stocks Essence Cosmetics. They did recently change their packaging so that the lid is the same colour as the lip liner colour, the font is bigger and the lid is smaller but other than that I see no difference.

If you are on a budget or are just looking for a good lip liner in general, these are definitely the way to go. I use these just as much as my MAC, Colourpop or Chi Chi ones. If you have these, let me know what you think of them down in the comments below! I'd love to hear your opinion on them.

Hidden Gems #7 - Sephora Mattifying 8hr Pressed Powder | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem is the Sephora Mattifying 8hr Pressed Powder in the shade Clair Light 15. I'm fairly certain this has been in my favourite previously, maybe in a video or something along those lines. The Sephora collection isn't really makeup that I look at buying all that often but I really wanted a face powder that wasn't going to break my bank account. I'm fairly certain that it was around $20-30 at Sephora so it was a decent price. You get 10g of product in the compact which is 3g more than my Boe Beauty compact.

The packaging isn't anything too special, just a regular black compact. The lid is like an inverted dome shape, it dips in, there's no particular reason for that that I can see. Just an average standard click-close compact. Although on the packaging it does say 'Matifying' instead of mattifying like it does on the site.

The product itself is amazing, it gives better coverage, completely mattifies your makeup. It does kick up quite a bit of product when you dip your brush into it, so just be careful of that. It does smell like baby powder probably because the main ingredient is Talc but thats also something to just keep in mind.

Overall I do think it's a really great product, it's definitely the face powder I reach for the most out of all of them, I think it does a really great job of keeping my makeup stay matte throughout the day and helps give that extra bit of coverage when I need it. Definitely a product that needs more recognition than it gets!

Hidden Gems #6 - Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer | The Lipstick Hub

The Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Concealer is something that I found pretty early on in my makeup career, if you can call it that, but I'm glad that I found it because it is a literal life changer.

This concealer is probably my most used one because it is my favourite. It's a drugstore concealer which means it's a lot cheaper than any of my MAC ones. It's an all round concealer, covering up under eye circles? Check. Got some nasty pimples that need covering up? Check. This concealer is everything. Of course there are some more expensive, more popular concealers that probably do a better job at certain things, like the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is great for under the eyes but this tiny concealer does just as good of a job in my opinion.

The packaging is mediocre, I really didn't expect anything fancy. I do like that it is plastic so it doesn't shatter when it falls to the ground like some others do.

If I had to pick one concealer to live off the rest of my life, this would definitely be it. I just haven't found anything that is as good and is a multi-tasker. If you see this in store, and it's on special grab it and hoard the crap out of it.

Hidden Gems #5 - Dose Of Colors Baked Highlighter in Pearl Dust | The Lipstick Hub

For this weeks Hidden Gem I've chosen to talk about the DOC Baked Highlighter in Pearl Dust. They came out with three baked highlighters and they were highly anticipated but the other two they came out with, the more golden colours, became the more popular products. I would definitely say that this particular shade is still probably more popular than last week's Hidden Gem but I still say that it deserves more recognition than it gets.

Pearl dust is a very pinky-silvery highlighter that is absolutely perfect for pale skin tones. This is definitely one of my holy grail products. I did mention this product in my IMATS haul post because that's where I bought it. The colour is absolutely stunning and is a must have for any pale person. I definitely reach for this more than I reach for my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders or my Mary-Lou by The Balm.

The packaging is pretty sturdy, the lid kind of clicks into place. It does feel a little fragile but I can live with that. I like that the lid is clear because I can easily see it when going through my collection. It doesn't feel too heavy but it's not the lightest product in the world either. You do get a fair amount of product in it, you get 8g which I think is a pretty good amount, it's about the average. Same as the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector.

If you go to IMATS or you want to order online I would definitely recommend checking this out because I'm not kidding, it is the perfect pale skin tone shade. It is a little on the pricer side but then again the Shimmering Skin Perfectors are $60 AUD so...

Hidden Gems #4 - Daiso Mixed Cheek Powders | The Lipstick Hub

This week's Hidden Gem are the Daiso Mixed Cheek Powders. The Mixed Cheek Powders are really shimmery blushes that come in quads. I initially heard of these from MessyDownUnder on Youtube and I had to pick these up. So far I have only gotten 3 of them, I'm not sure if there are more but you should definitely check them out.



The reason they are my Hidden Gems for this week is because for $2.80 I have never seen such, pigment and highlight from a cheap blush. Either using the colours individually or mixing them together to make a beautiful glowly pink, they look fantastic on the skin. Not to mention the packaging is hella cute. I mean its not Sugar Pill or Lime Crime packaging but its cute. (Pro tip: There wasn't anything on the back of the blushes, so I taped the packaging to the back of them so I could remember what shades they were).

I did first buy the 'Cute Color' one, which is the one with the red bow and my god I fell in love instantly. The next day I went back to Daiso and picked up some more. That's when I saw the 'Pink Color' one and the 'Magic Color' one. The Pink Color one is very similar to the Cute Color one except that it is more pink toned than the Cute Color one which is more coral toned. I was however taken back by the Magic Color one. It looks freaking stunning. I am a big believer in purple blushes so when I saw this one, I was pretty much a living heart eyes emoji. The perfect combination of pinks and lavender's had just fallen into my hands.

If you see these in store. Pick them up immediately. Though I definitely wouldn't recommend using a highlighter on top of these, they have enough shimmer as it is.

Hidden Gems #3 - Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick 240

Okay so first things first, I'm actually pretty sure this product is discontinued but they definitely need to bring it back. This Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in 240 Tower Of Mauve is such a perfect mauve-y brown nude colour I freaking love it to death.

Shall we start with packaging? Okay, its bloody beautiful. it has this chrome purple colour that is just too pretty to pass up. The lid is a click on one and it's pretty sturdy.

The reason I do think that this lipstick should make a come back is that is is the perfect on-trend Kylie Jenner colour right now. And for those people out there that are hating the liquid matte lipstick trend or just in general hate matte lipsticks then this is perfect for you. It is perfectly moisturising and creamy. However the lipstick doesn't slide around and it stays on all day long even through food.

Swatch without flash

If you have this lipstick sitting in the back of a drawer or your friend has it and doesn't want it anymore or you find one on ebay. Grab it. It's definitely one of the first things I reached for when making my Hidden Gems list and it's on here for a reason.

Swatch with Flash

Hidden Gems #2 - Essence Eyebrow Pencil

Ah Essence, a brand that is only somewhat talked about here in Aus. This brand definitely deserves some more recognition. Normally I don't buy from Priceline because a lot of the brands don't have quality stuff that I like, but Essence is a brand that I will go to Priceline or target for. The recently re-made all of their stuff including their eyeshadow palettes, lip pencils and eyebrow pencils. I think they only changed the packaging because the formula's are almost identical.

The shade I got was 05 Soft Blonde and it's very much a cooler shade. Its not a warm tone shade, it's almost ashy. I do like it though, it can give you that ombre effect if you're more on the darker side but overall I love using this pencil to fill in my sparse areas. I think its a great product for it's price, it comes off not too pigmented that its darker than your natural colour but it's pigmented enough that you are able to do flicks with it to create the fake hairs.

I don't think very many people reach for the Essence eyebrow pencils because brands like Anastasia Beverly Hills have pretty much slayed the brow game forever. But if you're on a budget and would like to test out a brow pencil, try reaching for one of these.

Hidden Gems #1 - Maybelline Master Sculpt

Hidden Gems is a thing I've decided to do, possibly weekly, but scheduling could conflict. But it should most likely be weekly. Hidden Gems is a little review about a product that isn't very well talked about, or has a little bit of hype about but needs some more recognition.



The first product I'm going to talk about is the Maybelline Master Sculpt, specifically in the shade light/medium. I heard about this product from Karissa on Youtube and she described it as the perfect contour shade for pale people. That caught my attention straight away and the next 40% off Maybelline sale at Priceline, it was the first thing I picked up. It has a contour shade and a smaller highlighter shade. You can flip up the middle panel and underneath is a mirror and contour brush, similar to the widely known Becca one but not quite the same.



This contour shade is the perfect, ashy-but-not-too-ashy brown for pale skin tones. It doesn't give you a harsh line that makes you look like the Joker but instead gives you that perfect shadow for definition.



The highlight shade is okay, its not completely perfect but it's not at all chunky-glittery. It's not going to give you that Jeffree Star glow, but it will be a nice touch if you need something simple for work.
The compact is perfect for day-to-day travels as it comes with the brush and mirror as well but I love to take it with me for proper travelling as well.

Overall it's the perfect shade for contouring for pale skin tones, the packaging makes it easy to travel with and it's affordable, especially if there's a target or priceline sale on.