Originally when I first heard of these mini beauty boxes I wasn’t too keen on the idea. I’ve always been more of a “full sized” product girl, less about the samples. But then… Sydney happened! And suddenly I need all the samples I could get~ That’s when I was finally glad for companies such as Glossy Box Many thanks to Glossy Box for gifting me with this box

Via a subscription, Glossy Box delivers around 4-6 samples each month for you to try, perfect for me now that I can only manage to carry sample sizes with me on my weekly commute.

Some thoughts regrading the products I received this month:

Panda Pen – Pleasant surprise! I didn’t expect to like this because it’s a bit on the chunkier side, but works a treat when in a rush. I’d umm on the side of caution after a few uses because I can’t think of a way to properly clean it?

KMS FREE SHAPE hot flex spray – I already have the full sized version of this and -love- it, so I’m extremely happy to have a travel version to take with me!

Proactiv Cleansing Bar – I passed this on to my brother since I don’t suffer from regular acne, but I like that there is something for everyone

Absolutely Gorgeous Macadamia Face Cream – I actually use this for my hands, because the smell is a bit strong for my face Makes me feel like I’m coming out of a spa.

Avene Gentle Toner – Another perfect travel companion for me!

If you’re interested, Glossy Boxes go for $14.95AU a month including delivery Definitely visit their website for more information on logistics etc Very happy to have this now that I’m travelling so much!

I’m a bit late to the party with this collection, I did a review on the actual makeup from this collection almost two months ago but only got around to swatching the polishes lately~ I’ve always been a fan of Chanel polish, but to be honest I can’t really tell if it’s because it’s “Chanel” or whether the quality is really that great. I’m a bit of a marketing pawn But if I was trying to be as objective as possible, if you can find these shades in a cheaper brand, I don’t see why you wouldn’t go for them (unless you’re a marketing pawn too!)

Anyways without further ado, swatches! As always two coats with no top coat (so you can see the natural finish)

533 April

I’m not sure how the colour is appearing on your screen, but April is a very pigmented deep red shade with some gray throughout it to give it a more mauvey-like result. I found the shade quite flattering against my skin tone, going through my collection I found Essie’s In Stitches is a lighter dupe and OPI’s Hoodoo Voodoo is almost exactly the same! So might be worth taking a look into that shade if you are keen.

535 May

Probably my favourite from this collection because I’m a sucker for nudes and subtle pinks! Universally I’d think this shade is flattering and I know it was one of the more popular shades from this collection. Ulta3′s Silver Pink is a slightly darker version with shimmer, whereas Chanel’s version is a true crème.

539 June

A beautiful light-ish tangerine crème, another favourite from the collection because despite being an orange shade, it is still very flattering. Essie’s Haute as Hello is a pinker matte version.

Seems that moisture driven lipsticks are the new thing amongst brands, which I love! Drying lipsticks was the main reason I never personally indulged in their daily wear. The lipsticks I have for you today are from Face of Australia’s Lip Quench Moisturising range and are designed to give the wearer’s lips long lasting colour whilst keeping them hydrated.

The range comes with 13 shades all up, Face of Australia were kind enough to provide me with three, Lychee Crush, Nude Satin and Malibu Barbie.

Generally I was pretty impressed, these lipsticks, they had good pigmentation, easy to apply and lasted a good few hours (without eating) before I felt the need to touch up. They are certainly creamier than most other lipsticks (NARS), but I wouldn’t classify them in the same group as the Rouge Coco Shines, SUQQU or Lunasol, which to me were truly moist lipsticks.

I’d say they reminded me more of MAC and Topshop lipsticks in the crème sheen formula. Not moisturising but creamy.

I did really love the packaging, though not photographed, one end is the name of the product, and the other contains a small see through plastic top that allows you to see what colour the lipstick is without opening it.

There is a distinct chemical smell that come with these lipsticks which is pretty standard for all “drug store” lipsticks I’ve found.

One thing to consider, given I tend to review more high end products, that these are priced at $9.45AU each! I’d say that’s a pretty amazing price, take into account that a Chanel lipstick is closer to $50AU. These lipsticks are available from most Pricelines and Kmarts.

I’m a bit on the fence about this particular palette, one of the reasons I decided to branch out is because I’m trying to add a bit of colour into my “every day” makeup routine, I love my nudes and earth tones, but it doesn’t hurt to branch out a little This palette from Giorgio Armani’s Spring 2012 line has amazing quality, which is to be expected from GA. Even though the texture of these shadows are incredibly soft and buttery, the pigmentation isn’t as strong as I’d like to be. Fine for everyday wear, but I wouldn’t complain if GA decided to increase the level of pigmentation, not to the level of their Eyes to Kill line, but maybe something similar? The finish for all shadows is universally shimmery, but no glitters.

All in all, this works better in my opinion as a gift rather than a must have product to own. Or if you are looking for something with more neutral colours, I know this palette also comes in a version with more wearable shades.

I purchased this palette for $59US via a mail forwarder. Unfortunately I have no idea how much this is in Australia, though I think I’ve seen them at counters now (probably for close to double the price)

I’m slowly trying to go through my tiny Chanel Rouge Coco Shine collection, this used to be my absolute favourite line of lipsticks up until I discovered Lunasol and SUQQU, which have now won me over as my favourite brands for lipsticks!

Don’t get me wrong Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine are still amazing lipsticks. They are quite moist, they aren’t terribly pigmented but that’s what I like about them (perhaps for the more conservative person) and they are very easily to apply. Unfortunately don’t expect any moist lipstick with slip to last as long as say a matte lipstick, that’s just how science works.

As a stand alone lipstick these are great, but when you explore other brands you begin to see the differences. For example I find that lipsticks from SUQQU and Lunasol provide a lot more moisture. And I love that they have absolutely no scent, where as Chanel lipsticks all come with a subtle rose scent, their signature scent.

Rebelle is almost a bit of an exception when I talk about pigmentation because it is one of the redder shades from the Rouge Coco Shine collection, a light application gives your lips a “bitten” appearance, and a few more coats give them a nice red hue.

One thing to keep in mind when using lipsticks designed to contain more moisture, never roll out the entire tube to apply. The heat of your lips will melt it down faster, just roll up a tiny bit at a time.

Old photo is old, I’ll try and take a better photo next time of my actual lips instead of eyes X_x;

All in all, I still love Rouge Coco Shines, but I can definitely see myself “investing” more of my money into SUQQU and Lunasol for the foreseeable future! I just wish they were more ready available in Australia Shopping online without testers can be a little like shooting in the dark!

ORLY’s latest collection Cool Romance is one of the releases for Spring 2012. The collection mostly consists of cool pastels and if you watch the promotional video, it has a very Parisian feel. As always, all swatches are two coats with no top coat.

Artificial Sweetener

As per the name, this is a sugar sweet pink shade with very sparse micro silver shimmers, barely visible if visible at all in the photo. Zoya’s Zanna is a darker version.

Faint Of Heart

A true taupe crème, I wouldn’t consider this a dirty shade, though I know certain taupe polishes seem to be viewed under that light. OPI’s French Quarter for Your Thought is a similar shade.

Jealous, Much?

A soft mint green crème with medium opacity, I found the formula to be a little on the more liquidy side. Essie’s Absolutely Shore is a lighter dupe and Essie’s Mint Candy Apple is similar with more aqua tones.

Prelude To A Kiss

A light peach crème, Face of Australia’s Cotton Candy is a very very close dupe.

Steel Your Heart

A metallic gunmetal shade with medium sized silver shimmers infused throughout, there are a ton of dupes for this in the market. This isn’t a unique shade at all, to name a few I’d say Ulta3′s Metal, Face of Australia’s Party at the Gap and China Glaze’s Attraction. But I’m sure you can find a ton more with other brands.

You’re Blushing

A mauve purple / pink crème, surprisingly was not able to find a similar dupe in my collection!

Finally the last purchase from my SUQQU Spring 2012 “haul”, a mauve rosy lipstick from their Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist range called Tousakura. The formula is incredible smooth and creamy. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was moisturising, but it certainly isn’t drying.

The finish of the lipstick gives the illusion that I’m wearing a thin layer of gloss over, that’s how moist it looks.

You can see below there are a ton of dupes, but none match the same level of creaminess nor moisture that SUQQU has.

This particular range I feel leans close to the lipsticks by Lunasol and Chanel’s Rouge Coco Shine My favourite kind of lipsticks, so far I’m highly impressed with each item I’ve purchased from the SUQQU range so you can be sure that I will be saving to “invest” more