April Favourites | The Lipstick Hub

Here are my makeup favourites for the month of April, these were a little hard to choose because some of these products were supposed to be in March's favourites and some items didn't arrive until yesterday. Though May's favourites are going to be amazing because so many more products are arriving.

1. Violet Voss Holy Grail Palette - This was the product was supposed to arrive in March but that's a whole other story. Anyway this palette, is amazing! What really caught my eye was the Wine N Dine shade, it's such a beautiful shade and watching Jeffree's video on it made me really excited about this palette. The palette was quite expensive to get my hands on, you could only buy one, the palette retails for $52 (though it's $42 with the code HOLYGRAIL10) and shipping is $35 so it's $87USD for the entire kit and kaboodle. The palette has 20 shades in there and the names are awesome. As someone who doesn't do neutral looks very often, this palette is very appealing to me.

2. Bobbi Brown University Eye Palette - This palette is definitely a costly one, retailing at $99 at Mecca. That's a lot for a palette with 12 eyeshadows and the pans are also smaller than the Violet Voss one. I did pick this palette up for the shadows Antique Rose and Black Plum (there is a little bit of a colour scheme going on here). The shadows aren't the most pigmented but they do blend out easily and create a seamless look. The colours aren't what you'd expect to find in a palette but I like that, it's great for travelling when you can create so many different looks with taking multiple palettes.

3. Bhcosmetics x Shaaanxo Lip and Eye Palette - I was so excited when Shaaanxo started showing this little beauty off on her channel. This palette is such a creative idea, it's double sided, one side has 9 eyeshadows and the other side has 9 lipsticks. The palette itself looks beautiful, the pink tint with the lights from her background. The eyeshadows are more on the neutral side, there are 3 mattes and the rest are shimmers. One shade in particular is a duochrome shade, it reminds me a lot of MAC's blue brown pigment. The lipsticks are a little bit more pink based, though you do get a lot of variety with the palette, a red shade, a burgundy shade and some neutral mauve shades. This palette is a win for me especially seeing as it's only $14.50 USD. It's so cheap and you get tons of product.

L-R Swatches: 2 from Shaaanxo's Palette, Wine N Dine and So Jelly from Violet Voss, and Black Plum and Antique Rose from Bobbi Brown

4. Benefit Hoola - This product is a holy grail product for a lot of people, including me. The reason why it's in this months favourites is because it's personalised with my name on it. It also comes with a personalised brush as well. Other than that, it is a great bronzer or contour shade depending on your skin tone. It's buttery and so easy to blend out.

5. Rimmel Sculpting Palette in 002 Coral Glow - This is new to Australia, and I'm in love with it. It has 3 compartments, a highlighter illuminer, a contour sculpter, and a blush colorer. It's part of the Kate collection. The packaging is quite nice, with a copper bronze edge around it. The highlighter isn't intense but it gives you a lovely glowly-sheen to your skin. The contour shade does have shimmer so it might be more of a bronzer for some people but it's a great shade for pale people. It doesn't go cakey and it's not too dark, though don't go heavy handed with it, it's quite pigmented. The blush is also lovely, its really a peachy-pink colour that isn't too pigmented but you can definitely build it up.

6. Girl Scouts Lip Smacker Tasty Trio Collection - My inner child screamed out to me when I saw this pack. It includes a Lip Smacker in Chocolate Peanut Butter, a Liquid Lip Smacker in Thin Mints, and a Lip Smacker Lip Pot in Coconut Caramel Stripes. The first one, the Chocolate Peanut Butter, smells amazing, it really does smell like a Reese's. The quality is like any other lip smacker, I do use them more for novelty, taste and smell rather than actual hydration and treatment but it's cute nonetheless. The Thin Mints lip gloss smells exactly like a Thin Mint biscuit, not just mint but mint with chocolate. I feel like it would be perfect as a lip plumper as well because of the mint which gives you that tingly feeling in your lips. The last one, the lip pot, looks so freaking cute as the packaging is a cookie. I can't put my finger on what it smells like but it smells amazing.

7. Bite Matte Creme Lip Crayon in Cafe - This colour is so pretty, it's a pinky brown nude. I don't know if this is a permanent colour, though I think it is, because I got it in last year's Bite Beauty Christmas pack. The formula is beautiful, its a creamy matte formula, so it doesn't drag on the lips and the colour stays on all day. I've already talked about these quite thoroughly so I'm not going to go into detail too much but you should definitely check these out.

8. NYX Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick in Pink Lust / Passion Rose - NYX always seem to get it right with their lip products. The liquid suede lipsticks are incredibly pigmented and neon in colour. These are really creamy but they do transfer, however when they do transfer they leave a stain on the lips which looks beautiful. They dry down to a semi matte when dabbed with a tissue or something along those lines.

9. Seraphine Botanicals Carrot + Rose Hydrating Cream - This was something I got in an Ipsy bag, as well as the NYX Liquid Suede. I didn't expect to like this as much as I did. It's not a brand I've heard of before but I'm already in love. I'd never thought of putting Carrot and Rose together, but it smells amazing and feels like cashmere. Its not a thick lotion but it's about the same consistency as every other moisturiser. The hydrating cream almost has a blurring affect to it where it makes your face look flawless. I would definitely recommend this.

10. Essence All That Greys Nail Polish in Roaring Red - The last product for the April favourites is the new Essence nail polish from the All That Grey's collection. I really love this collection but in particular, I love this nail polish. It's a pearly matte finish. Its a deep burgundy colour with red reflects. It lasts a really long time and doesn't chip too much. I think it's amazing for such a cheap price. If you're interested in the collection you should check it out before it leaves stores.

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Real or Fake? Lime Crime Velvetines from Ebay Review and Comparison | The Lipstick Hub

Recently I ordered a few Lime Crime Velvetine duplicates from Ebay. I would like to preface by saying that I am aware that these are fakes, I do not truly believe that there are genuine Velvetines being sold for about $1. If you would like to buy genuine Lime Crime products, then you can go to limecrime.com/stores to see their retailers or buy directly from their website. I would also like to address that I am aware that bad chemicals can be found in knock-off products, and that they have caused allergic reactions previously in some cases, however that is why I spot-test before applying directly all over my lips. It is also up to the buyer on whether or not they would like to purchase the product or not, I am not promoting these in anyway, I am simply comparing what is being sold on Ebay to the actual Lime Crime Velvetines.

So now that that little disclaimer is over, lets get into the actual review and comparison shall we? You can purchase these really cheap Velvetines from Ebay or Aliexpress, those two are probably the most common places, I'm unaware of any others. I bought three, each of my most used Velvetines, Red Velvet, Pink Velvet and Cashmere.

L-R: Red Velvet, Pink Velvet and Cashmere

My first impression of the packaging was fairly okay. The box that Cashmere came in was clearly old and fading but I didn't mind it. They said they were sample sizes on Ebay but these are full sized Velvetines. I did notice a few differences between the real ones and the fake ones. 

L-R: Fake Red Velvet, Real Red Velvet, Fake Pink Velvet, Real Pink Velvet, Fake Cashmere, Real Cashmere

There are a few differences that you can see, especially in the flash photo. Firstly, the fake Red Velvet doesn't have a matte tube, it has a very cheap plastic tube. The colours also come off a lot more vibrant through the real tubes. The closest tubes were the Pink Velvets. The font is different on my real one because it is from their original packaging from a couple of years ago. However there is a difference in the colouring of the roses on my fake Pink Velvet, it was a lot less red and more of a deep pink, there is a comparison photo down below. Another difference is between the Cashmere's and the Red Velvet's and thats the height. They were actually taller than my real ones.

Fake Pink Velvet next to Fake Cashmere for heigh difference and difference in colour on the roses.

Swatches of the fakes next to the real deal. First up we have the Red Velvets, the fake one only dried down to a semi matte, rather than fully matte like the real one. It was also quite patchy and was a bit darker than the real one. As for Pink Velvet, the fake one was more like a chunky gloss rather than a liquid to matte lipstick. The texture wasn't pleasant, it had no colour payoff, it was almost a completely different product. The fake Cashmere was by far my favourite out of the three, the colour was pretty much what I wanted Cashmere to actually be. The colour was a little patchy, though you do get that with high end brands as well, it just happens with lighter colours in general. You could definitely add a second coat to make it more opaque and pigmented. It was a lovely shade, I wouldn't call it a dupe for Cashmere by any means. Cashmere was also the only fake to dry down to a complete matte formula.

To summarise, it could be worth it, especially for only a couple of bucks. Its a bit hit and miss though. Also as they are coming from Hong Kong, they do take a while to arrive and mostly likely they won't arrive all in one package. I'm disappointed in Red Velvet and Pink Velvet but I don't really mind because they weren't expensive and I didn't have high expectations for them anyway. Cashmere was surprisingly nice.

If you've ordered these let me know what you thought of them in the comments down below! I'd love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

Indie Brand Impulse Cosmetics Haul and Review | The Lipstick Hub

Today I'll be showing you guys my Impulse Cosmetics Haul. Impulse Cosmetics is a brand that I found on Instagram, they are a small, indie, and up-and-coming brand. They are hand-made which I think is amazingly impressive. I ordered a few products so that I could really test out their products and give you guys my thoughts. 

The first product I have to show you guys is their Matte Lip Lacquer in Julep, it's a bright mint colour and is incredibly pigmented. The only problem that I have with the lip products from this brand is that they don't have the shade names on the products which gets annoying when you're trying to post Instagram photos or you know, write blog posts. The packaging isn't too bad, it's just plastic with stickers wrapped around; which I don't mind at all. The full sized Matte Lip Lacquer is only $11 USD so I'm not going to complain about an indie brand's packaging unless it's faulty. The formula is a nice change, it's quite thin but pigmented and it feels really lightweight. It doesn't feel drying or heavy after a long time of wearing them.

The next lot of products I bought were the Duochrome Matte Lip Lacquers. Because I wanted to test out a few of them, I bought samples sizes which is a super cool thing about this brand. It's like a try-before-you-buy. The sample sizes are only $3 USD each for 1.2ml of product, which isn't bad. They come with mini doe-foot applicators so you don't have to worry about how to apply them. The formula is the same as the Matte Lip Lacquer, it does seem a little bit chunky when you first apply it, but when you even it out, then its the exact same. These are super pretty and I'll definitely need to be ordering more ASAP.

L-R: Charisma, Exploit, Hypnosis, Superstition (Duo-chromes), Julep (Matte Lip Lacquer)

The next products are eyeshadow collections, I got the Deathly Hollows sample eyeshadow collection (Halloween, 2015) and the Once Upon A Time sample eyeshadow collection. I picked one eyeshadow out of each collection to swatch because the OUAT collection comes with 10 eyeshadows ($12.50) and the HP collection comes with 12 ($15 USD). The Harry Potter set has a lot of darker colours and has more earthy tones whereas the Once Upon A Time Set has a lot of lighter colours. They don't have matte colours, all of them are like a duochrome eyeshadow with a lot of sparkle which is really awesome. I didn't buy something like a Morphe palette, that I expect to have neutral transititon colours and crease colours etc, I got these collections to have fun with some lid colours or to use as highlighters etc. They are a little difficult to open and they will spill everywhere if you aren't careful.

Once Upon A Time Collection

Harry Potter Collection

Left: Marauders, Harry Potter    Right: Sugarplum, Once Upon A Time

Out of everything I can not fault any of these products. They are all so wonderful and I'm already planning my next order from Impulse Cosmetics. I hope you guys found this mini haul/brand review useful and let me know if you got anything from them in the comments below.

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.

New Hydra Matte Liquid Lipsticks by Gerard Cosmetics | The Lipstick Hub

I'm back again and with new products to talk about to you guys! I'm talking about the new Hydra Mattes by Gerard Cosmetics for their spring/summer collection. They released 4 colours though I was only interested in two, 1995 and West Coast. 1995 is by far my favourite lipstick from them so I was super excited to hear that they were making a liquid lipstick version of it. West Coast first interested me because of the name, and its the name of one of my favourite Lana Del Rey songs, then I saw the colour and I was in love, from the photos it looks like a very neon coral pink shade which I'm excited to put to the test.

I'll start with West Coast, it is a very neon shade, so if that isn't something that you're into I would give this a pass. However if you don't mind a pop of colour, this shade is stunning. The Hydra Matte smells a lot like the Lime Crime Velvetines, which I don't mind. It's very light weight and has a very liquid-y consistency, not at all like the Ofra ones. It didn't dry immediately but it still dried down to complete matte. I do think that it's a lot more pink than it is coral but a lovely shade nonetheless.

As for 1995, I think they made a wonderful colour though it's not quite the same as the 1995 lipstick, it comes off a lot darker. Thought if you put the lipstick on top of the liquid lipstick, there is absolutely no difference to the liquid lipstick on its own. I think that they did a wonderful job in making this shade and it was definitely a great idea from a business stand point, but it is darker than the actual 1995 lipstick.

L-R: 1995 Hydra Matte, 1995 Lipstick, 1995 Hydra Matte with 1995 lipstick on top, West Coast

Other than that I have nothing bad to say, shipping time wasn't horrible seeing as it was coming from America. I think the shades are wonderful and I'll definitely be getting a lot of use out of 1995 this Winter here in Australia.  

March Favourites! | The Lipstick Hub

Finally doing a March Favourites, I haven't done a favourites list in a long time so I'm excited. I do believe mostly that I haven't done one based on the fact that I do Hidden Gems which is sort of like a favourites list, but alas, this month I feel like so much makeup just came right at me that doesn't really belong in Hidden Gems because they are well-known makeup products that everyone's been loving this month. So let's jump right into it shall we?

1. Kylie Lip Kit in Koko K
This was my very first Lip Kit that I ordered and I'm so glad that I ordered two because I'm absolutely freaking in love. I can't get enough of this beautiful shade. I'd also like to give Kylie credit for her valiant effort with these Lip Kits. She restocks almost weekly, they smell heavenly and look so freaking beautiful. There are so many swatches and reviews out on these but there was no doubt about it that these were going in my favourites list. To be honest the Lip Kits are probably in my top 5 liquid lipstick formulas already.

2. MannyMua x Makeup Geek Eyeshadow Palette
I know every Youtuber, blogger and makeup junkie has been raving about this palette, but it is for a good reason. This palette is to die for. I literally bought this palette for the shade Mars because I have been wanting a burgundy eyeshadow that is pigmented to hell and isn't too brown based. The rest of this palette was just a prize really. Manny did a fantastic job with the palette and I couldn't be more proud of him. I'm absolutely in love with how versatile the palette is and the fact that it works well on so many different skin tones.

3. Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Highlighter
My god this product was hard to get my hands on, and that's coming after the Kylie Lip Kits and MannyMua palette, so that's saying a lot. I've been wanting this highlighter since about mid-last year and I was only able to get my hands on it in freaking March. That's insane. I was disappointed in the packaging, it feels cheap and the magnet is really strong. However the product is beautiful, though pale skin tones can only really use this particular highlighter on top of bronzers because it is golden based.

4. Revlon Nail Art Shiny Matte in 530 Emerald Suede
I've already talked about this product in a Hidden Gem but I loved this nail polish duo. The photos in the Hidden Gems post show the colours nicely but it certainly doesn't do them justice. I'll be wearing this again very soon.

5. Savvy Mineral Baked Blush in Coral
This isn't at all a coral colour, its a very coppery-bronze colour. I actually didn't buy this product with the intention of using it as a blush, I used it as a baked eyeshadow during the Mecca x Smashbox event. I haven't used it as a blush so I can't really give my thoughts on that particular use of the product but I can tell you that if you wet your brush, it makes a fantastic pigmented eyeshadow.

6. Makeup Forever HD Foundation (The original formula)
I managed to get my hands on the original formula which I am so happy about because it's a great foundation. I got the shade N115 which is amazing for pale skin tones, I haven't had to mix anything with it which is amazing to me. I love the formula, I wish that they hadn't taken over with the new formula.

7. Ofra Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Laguna Beach
This colour is very, very similar to Koko K but it's a bit lighter and a little bit more pink than KoKo K which I wasn't expecting. Though the formulas are very different. The Ofra one is a lot creamier and has a more mousse consistency, whereas Koko K has a more watery consistency. Though I really love these formulas equally.

8. Lorac Pro Matte Palette
This is a little hard to get your hands on if you're in Australia but it's definitely worth the effort. The eyeshadows are so buttery and pigmented. They look stunning, especially for a more nude palette. This is definitely my new travelling palette for when I want a neutral look. Even the feel of the palette is beautiful.

9. Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey
While this product looks freaking amazing, it's also just a plain ol' great product. Being a lighter skin tone I can only really use this on top of bronzers but oh my Lord it is stunning. This product makes me want to fake tan so I can really see it's true beauty, but I'll just have to wait for Laura Geller to make ones that are a little more friendly towards pale skin tones.

10. Kmart Body Mist in Just Peachy
I will be doing a Hidden Gem's post on this at a later date but the new Kmart body mists are so nice especially for $4 each. Ever since I started wearing Just Peachy I have been getting tons of complements. It's also incredibly strong so you don't have to use much but offt it stays on for hours.

Unfortunately that's all the favourites for this month, until next. I did have a couple things planned to be in this month's favourites, though it didn't work out so it might have to be in the next month's list.

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.

Easter Show Beauty Show Bag Haul | The Lipstick Hub

At the Easter Show I got a few beauty show bags, but also some fitness ones and some other ones. I thought you guys would be interested in the show bags I got and what is in them. I do apologise for this being late and coming out on the Tuesday instead of the Friday last week, but it was a public holiday, Easter Long Weekend, so I hope you can forgive me. But after this it is pretty much back to your regular scheduled program.

The first bag I got was Elle ($20). If you want to see what's included in the bag you can look at the bag's information on the Easter Show website. I was really excited for this bag, I love Elle magazine especially because Kylie Jenner was on the cover. The bag also included dry shampoo, sun glasses, magnum chocolate and an RY voucher. The amount of things you get in this bag is amazing, especially because it's $5 cheaper than the most expensive bags.

The next bag I got was the Designer Brands show bag ($20). I was a little annoyed because I specifically got there early so I could get the contour kit instead of the snowflake palette but I had already missed out before it was even mid-day. I think this bag would be great if you don't have a lot of DB stuff which I don't, so I'm excited to try out the nail polish, lipstick and mascara.

The next one is the Dolly show bag ($20) This bag had a couple of choices, like the backpack and the cap, I opted for the 'denim' backpack and the 'On Fleek' cap. The denim bag isn't what I thought it would be like, it's more a print on a canvas bag than an actual denim bag. I didn't know that one of the Dolly magazines would have an Essence freebie with it, so that was a nice surprise. The little 2016 dairy and washi tape is pretty cute. I'm also pretty happy that it had an RY coupon.

This one is the Girlfriend show bag ($15) which I think may have been the cheapest out of the lot and it's understandable why, it didn't have a whole lot in it. Though I was quite interested in the Sinful Colors nail polish, the Biore sample and the Instax magnetic pegs. I could have bought the items individually but the nail polish was a bit of a mystery colour, I really liked the design of this bag and I did want the magazines.

This bag may not be recognisable instantly because it had so many choose your owns but this one is the Young Designers Collective Fashion Bag ($25). This one was probably my favourite bag because it has so many things that are practical. I'll start with the choose your owns, so you got to choose out of two things for the bag, hat, sun glasses, purse, scarf and the Clearasil Superfruits line. I was really happy with the things I opted for, I like the chic marble design. I think the floral sunglasses are hella cute. The food and drink weren't too bad. Toothpaste is always a good thing to have a backup of. I did have to throw the coloured hair shampoo out because mine leaked which sucks but overall, definitely my favourite bag.

This bag is the Spirit State Killin It bag ($25), there were two Spirit State bags and I did purchase both of them, which means there were a lot of double ups. I'll show you the two bags side by side so you can see what I mean. There were some differences between the two like bag styles, bag and drink bottle designs. In the Killin It bag you got a phone strap for your arm where as in the Sweat More bag they offered skipping ropes. If you want to see the differences up close you can have a look at the Easter show bag website.

This bag was The Kylie and Jackie O bag ($25), it did have a lot of branding in it which kind of annoyed me. But in this bag it had a lot of practical things that drew me to it. For example, the headphones, the Bio-Oil, the Natural Paw Paw ointment, the Sunglasses, the travel charger and food I could actually eat. So if you can look past the branding, it's actually quite a good bag.

This next thing wasn't so much a showbag as it was just a stall at the Easter Show. After last years Lush boom, I was really excited to see this, the store was called Get Drenched and it was very similar to Lush, the had bath bombs, soaps, candles and lip scrubs. I picked up two of the bath bombs and the bubble bath bar for $18 all together. The bath bomb on the left is very similar to Lush's Sex Bomb so I'd like to see if it's a good dupe for it.

That's it for this year's Easter show, why don't you guys tell me what you got in the comments down below, or if there's anything that you'll be picking up?

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.

Blog Update

I am terribly sorry that I could not post on Friday or today due to being ill but, I'm trying to get back in the game. I will be cutting down on blog posting, it will now be on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. It will continue being at 12:30P.M. and Wednesday's will remain Hidden Gem days, I'm just letting you know about this change so you aren't waiting for posts on Tuesday's and Thursday's. I am terribly sorry, I just could not keep up with the demand. That being said I will do have posts for you guys. The next post to go up on the new schedule is Hidden Gem #9 on Wednesday. Then another post on Friday etc. I hope you can understand why I changed it. Thank you for your support.

- Amber xx

Best Lip Crayon Formulas and Brands | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

As Lip Week continues, I thought I've already done, lipsticks, lip liners so I decided to do lip crayons! These are my favourite brands of lip crayons and my favourite lip crayon formulas. So let's get into it shall we?

The first one I'm going to talk about is Mirabella Velvet Lip Pencil. I discovered these in Lip Monthly (a subscription box) and I fell in love with it pretty quickly. They first sent me a orange/red one and I wasn't crash hot on it because I don't wear that kind of colour but then I got a red one and it's so freaking pigmented! Pretty much all of the lip crayon's I'm going to talk about are going to have a creamy consistency but Mirabella knows what's up with pigment. The packaging is amazing, taking a step back from the trends and going with a gun metal look. I am so thankful for Lip Monthly for showing me this brand. Lip Monthly said they retail for $25, I'm guessing U.S.D? I also don't know if you can get your hands on these in Australia but if you can get them, definitely give them a go.
The next brand is of course Nars, Nars have very beautiful Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. The first set I got was the birthday present from Sephora and the second set I got was from Steven Klein collection. Out of all of these this formula is the second most matte, however they don't feel drying at all. In a few of the shades, like Sex Machine in particular, it can have a bit of sparkle to it which gives it a totally different look as opposed to a complete matte monochrome colour. These can be quite pricey but the quality is definitely what you're paying for.

The Maybelline ColorBlur's are something I have been waiting over a year to get, since Shaaanxo did her collaboration video with Maybelline which featured this product. The ColorBlur's are the most matte out of all of these lip crayons but I kind of understand why; the product was made so that you could easily create an ombre affect on the lips, that could be more difficult if you used a glossier product because gloss formula's can spread more easily. The ColorBlur's are hella pigmented, and are very neon depending on which shade you get. You can get these at Priceline, Target, Big W etc, and they aren't going to be as expensive as the Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils.

The Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm's are more like a semi-matte, they don't instantly apply as a matte, but if you were to dab your lips with a tissue or apply some translucent powder to your lips, then it would be matte. I do have to say that these aren't quite the same as the other products that I've mentioned but they leave a really nice, stained look on the lips. They last a really long time because they have that staining effect. These tend to look really nice if you get a my lips but better colour. They are really big so they can be a little hard to apply evenly and crisply but it's not too much of a bother. These are also available at Priceline, Target, Big W etc and they are in the same boat as Maybelline in terms of price range.

The last two products are Bite products because if any brand knows how to do lip crayons, it's them. The first one I'm going to mention is the High Pigment Pencil, I accidentally stumbled upon these in Sephora when I was trying to dupe something that wasn't available at the time. I really fell in love with these. Super creamy and really give you that plumped pout look without having any lip plumping ingredients. The Bite packaging as just feels nice, the rubbery matte packaging is so nice. They are a little more expensive but they are completely worth it. Can be found at Sephora AUS.

The other Bite product is called the Matte Creme Lip Crayon which can be a little confusing because how can a product be matte and creamy? They aren't completely matte, again they are more like a semi-matte but they are extremely creamy like the High Pigment Pencils. These aren't going to dry out your lips at all. The only thing I fault these on is the face that they don't have the colour of the product on the outside of the packaging. They have the colour name but that's it. Again, Bite Beauty can be found at Sephora AUS.

L-R: Mirabella in Red, Nars in Sex Machine, Maybelline in 05 Pink Insanity, Revlon in 205 Elusive Insaisissable, Bite in Syrah and Aubergine

Let me know what your favourite lip crayon formula's are in the comments below. I also want to see if you can guess what the last post for Lip Week is! Of course the post will go up at 12:30 like every other day, so if you want to know what the last Lip Week post is, stay tuned then :)

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.

Top 10 M.A.C Lipsticks | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

I haven't really done a post like this before but you'll be seeing plenty this week. These are my top 10 MAC lipsticks. There's no particular order to them, these are just the 10 lipsticks from MAC that I like the most, so far. I do have an absolute favourite and I do have a couple staple shades but other than that, there's not really any order to this. So let's get into it shall we?

L-R: Brave, Velvet Teddy, Pink Plaid, Snob, Saint Germain, Please Me, Tats, Tenor Voice, Shy Girl, Diva

1. Brave - Satin finish: Brave is probably my absolute favourite, it was my first ever MAC lipstick and has definitely been used a lot, which is why the MAC writing on the inside is so messed up. The reason why I picked it up is because everyone was saying that it was the colour that Kylie Jenner was using so naturally I picked it up along with Soar lip liner and to this day it's probably my favourite lip combo. It's that colour that was so on-trend last year, that pink-y brown nude, it comes off darker on me than other skin tones because I'm pale as hell but it's still my favourite colour.
2. Velvet Teddy - Matte finish: My second favourite colour from MAC and it's no surprise why, it's a cult favourite among MAC fans and is also said to be the shade Kylie wears. Velvet Teddy is a more brown nude than a pink-y brown but I still think it's a beautiful shade for my skin tone and a lot of other skin tones.
3. Pink Plaid - Matte finish: Pink Plaid isn't my third favourite but it's definitely a me colour. It's very similar to Please Me except Pink Plaid is just a little more on the nude side than straight up pink. I did accidentally drop this on my carpet with a lid and it may have broken my heart just a little but it was fine after I cleaned it up. I can't say whether I like this one more than Please Me or if I like Please Me more than this one, they're kind of equal to me, it just depends on what undertone you want.
4. Snob - Satin finish: Snob was I think my second ever MAC lipstick and I still love it to this day, it's absolutely perfect for Summer and Spring which I love. It's almost like if Saint Germain and Pink Plaid had a baby, this would be it. For me, my perfect pink match is Snob with Hip 'n' Happy lip liner, such a nice combo.
5. Saint Germain - Amplified finish: Saint Germain is definitely an Amplified colour, it's hella bright and such a beautiful neon pink colour. Perfect for wanting to make a statement or just for a pop of colour. I really do understand the hype around this colour because I don't own anything like it.
6. Please Me - Matte finish: Please Me is the one I was comparing to Pink Plaid because they are so similar in colour however Please Me has more of a pink undertone rather than a nude undertone. The Please Me I have is from a limited edition collection but I am about 85% sure that it's a permanent colour.
7. Tats - Matte finish: Tats is from the Giambattista Vali collection and I'm pretty sure it's not a permanent colour, however they may bring it back in another collection or as a permanent shade. Tats for me is the perfect Hot Pink, raspberry reddish colour, I think it's perfect for a date night or just a general night out if you don't like reds.
8. Tenor Voice - Matte finish: Again Tenor Voice was limited edition from the Toledo collection but like I said before, they may bring it back in another collection or as a permanent shade. Tenor Voice for me is the perfect red, it's not too orange based, it's a blue based red that is a little bit darker than your typical pure red shade, absolutely stunning.
9. Shy Girl - Cremesheen finish: This is the only Cremesheen that's on this list and that I own because I hate Cremesheens, I really dislike the formula, though I dislike Lustre's as well. I mostly don't like Cremesheens because they don't give off much pigment and don't last long, but this is an except to that statement. Shy Girl gives off a little bit of a nude tint to the lips and it aslo gives you this shimmer to the lips that is to die for. 
10. Diva - Matte finish: Lucky last Diva, Diva definitely isn't my least favourite on this list it just got stuck with the last position. Diva looks almost like a dark brown in the tube (in photos) but it's a very dark vampy red, I live for colours like this. Especially in Winter and during the holidays. It's such a beautiful colour to match up with a big sweater and some black leggings.

And there you have it, my top 10 MAC lipsticks. Let me know if you would like to see the rest of them or any other top 10 lipstick lists in the comments below :)

Beginner's Guide to Lip Products | Lip Week | The Lipstick Hub

It's Lip Week here on The Lipstick Hub, our first ever themed week, that I have chosen. I've wanted to do this for a little while but things have always just come up that needed to go out before I could dedicate a week to just lip products. I was thinking of making this an annual thing but it's up to you guys, whether you want another lip week, whether you hated this one, etc. I do have some fun posts lined up for you this week and I think you'll really enjoy them, it'll give you a little insight to my lip product stash and what products I prefer and so on and so on.

Today's post is a guide for beginners on lip products, there are many different types of products for your lips how do you know what you'll like and what's going to suit you? If you are a newbie to makeup then I do have a little beginners guide post that I wrote not too long ago, which you can read here. So without further ado, here are the different lip products that are currently on the market, if I have left any out, I'm sorry and please let me know in the comments below.

1. Lip Primer - I don't actually own a lip primer so I can't show you an example, my apologies. But I do know that Colourpop have one for $5 USD and a bunch of other brands have lip primers as well. I don't view lip primers as an essential lip product to have and I do think it's a little gimmicky but I haven't tried one so I can't judge. Basically a lip primer would go under any lip product you are about to put on, generally lipsticks though, and the idea is that it will make it last longer and make the product go on easier. Again I can't give my thoughts because I don't own one but I've had never had a problem with my lip products so, it's up to you whether you deem it as necessary.

2. Lip balm/treatment - I'm sure everyone has owned a Lip Smackers, Chapstick or Vaseline at some point in their lifetime. I do view lip balms and/or treatments as essential because my lips do get really dry especially in winter and lip balms definitely help keep that under control. Lip balms keep your lips moisturised and stay healthy, just like using a moisturiser for your face, it's essential. Also keep in mind that when you are dehydrated, the first place it shows is your lips, so keep hydrated and keep a lip balm in your purse, pocket, desk drawer etc.

Watermlon Lip Smackers

3. Lip scrub - A lip scrub is somewhat new to the beauty world, its a product that will exfoliate your lips, i.e. scrub off the dry dead skin and leave you with fresh soft lips. It's definitely something that should be in your skin care routine, though don't do it too often, once a week should be plenty.

Ombra Sugar Lip Scrub in Watermelon

4. Lipstick - Lipstick is probably one of the biggest symbols of makeup next to mascara. You can pay $2 or $113 on a lipstick, it's insane. So I guess the fist thing to know about lipsticks is that they have different finishes, these include matte, satin, semi-matte, amplified, cremesheen (cream), lustre, sheer and metallic. I'm sure there's a couple in there I may have forgotten but matte and cream finishes are the most common. A matte finish is exactly what it sounds like, there is no shine to the lip colour but it's generally more pigmented. They can feel drying but that's what lip balms are for. Cream finishes are more moisturising, they tend to be like a gloss almost. They can definitely be pigmented but they will come off more easily and they can feel slippery on the lips. There is no better formula, it is entirely up to you which one you like better. 

Rimmel Kate Nude lipstick in 45

5. Lip gloss - Lip glosses are fairly well-known I'm pretty sure. I know I had quite a few lip glosses when I was younger, I'm fairly certain I wore lip glosses before lipsticks. Lip glosses can be really pigmented or really sheer, they can feel tacky, slippery or just plain sticky. It's up to you to find a brand that works well for you and suits you. I don't really wear lip gloss all that often and I'm pretty sure it's well known that I hate lip glosses because of the way they feel but I have worn a lip gloss from time to time.

The Balm Read My Lips in BAM!

6. Matte liquid lipstick - Oh boy did these get popular in 2015, matte liquid lipsticks are probably my favourite makeup item ever. They were a massive hit in 2015, though some people did get sick of them and I can understand why, a) every single brand make liquid to matte lipsticks and b) everyone was blogging/vlogging/gramming them. Not to mention if you are a person who hates matte lips, it was definitely not your year. Shiny glossy lips might have been the 'in' thing back in 2005 but it's time for matte liquid lipsticks. Liquid to matte lipstick are pretty much exactly what you'd expect, they go on your lips a liquid, like a gloss and within 20-60 seconds, they dry down matte. Some formulas can be drying on your lips and some can be moisturising, just like any other lip product they can be a hit or miss.

Colourpop Ultra Matte Liquid Lipstick in More Better

7. Liquid lipstick - Liquid lipsticks are pretty much a hybrid of matte liquid lipsticks, lip gloss and lipstick. It's pretty much exactly as the name says, its a liquid version of a lipstick. There's nothing really more to go on about them than that. They don't really have different finishes because if it wear creamier and more shinier than it would be a gloss and if it were matte than it would be a matte liquid lipstick.

Savvy Liquid Lipstick in Ballet

8. Lip liner - Lip liners can come in different packaging and types, they can come in a pencil form or a twist up product. Lip liners are basically to help you outline your lips so that you stay in the lines, you can also fill in your lips with them so that your lipstick comes out more pigmented and stays on longer. Lip liners can also come in different finishes, you can get a more matte finish, that generally comes from a pencil liner and you can get a more cream finish with a twist up, of course there are some exceptions but that's just my observation.

Maybelline Super Stay Lip Liner in 41 Rosewood

9. Lip crayon - Lip crayons are pretty much exactly what they sound like, they look like giant crayons that you can paint your lips with. They tend to be creamy and moisturising rather than matte but some brands do have matte lip crayons. 

Laqa & Co Lip Lube in Beezlebub

10. Lip tint - Lip tints are really liquid-y. They are a little bit difficult to explain but I'll try my best. They sort of look like a highlighter or marker and once applied they leave a light tint of colour on your lips. They don't leave a full opaque layer of product, they just give your lips a tint of colour so they may look a little pinker or redder etc.

Universal Beauty Tint Stick in Pink

11. Peel off lip tint - This is definitely pretty new to the makeup game, and they are definitely more popular in Asian countries than Western countries, but we're catching up. You apply the product to your lips, which is going to feel like a really heavy gross lip gloss, you wait however long the product tells you to, and you start to peel off the product, what it leaves is a tint on your lips just like a lip tint.

Monomola Lasting Lip Color in Sexy Red

12. Lipstick transformer - These are definitely very new in the makeup world, that I've seen at least. Lipstick transformers are products that can your already applied product. For example, Kat Von D has a range of matte liquid lipsticks, mid-late last year, she released a liquid lipstick transformer, it would transform any of her matte liquid lipsticks into a new colour. Or a different example is the very new Smashbox Insta-Matte lipstick transformer, you apply a very small amount of the gel to your lips and dab it out so that whatever lipstick you are wearing turns matte. It also works on matte liquid lipsticks, if you need to moisturise your lips but you are already wearing a matte liquid lipstick, then you can apply the Insta-Matte to hydrate your lips but also keep them matte.

Smashbox Insta-Matte

13. Lip plumper - The last product I can think of, I don't actually own one, again I apologise for that, I just have no need for a lip plumper because my lips are plump enough for my liking. The general idea is that you apply the lip plumper, which usually has mint in it, and it will plump your lips in the given time. Mint actually irritates your lips, which gives you that tingly or burning feeling, its swells your lips and adds a little bit of flush to them without causing serious damage. If you want plumper lips, add peppermint oil to them, don't permanently damage your lips by sucking them into a shot glass.

Those are all of the different types of lip products, I could think of, please let me know if I left any out. Again if you need any help figuring out what a product is or need some more information on a certain product, give me a holla in the comments or social media, if you'd like to keep it private you can always email me, which is at the top of the screen. Let me know if I should do more in depth beginners guides as well, I could do eye products next or something along those lines.