You don't believe in GWPs? I will soon post on the benefits of a good GWP.
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, stocking up on my Santal oil and cashing in on my GWP...
Tuesday, June 23, 2015
Clarins Gift Time at David Jones
From 19 June to 5 July 2015, purchase 2 items from Clarins at David Jones, one being skincare,and receive your deluxe gift.
You don't believe in GWPs? I will soon post on the benefits of a good GWP.
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, stocking up on my Santal oil and cashing in on my GWP...
You don't believe in GWPs? I will soon post on the benefits of a good GWP.
Now, where was I? Oh yeah, stocking up on my Santal oil and cashing in on my GWP...
Sunday, June 14, 2015
Eyeshadow, Eyeshadows, Eyeshadows (episode 2)
Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads in life?
You can choose to go down the safe, worn, well trodden path and continue your life of buying random eyeshadows that don't really go together but looked good in the plastic tester pan at the local pharmacy, or palettes that are thrown out after a few months because only 3 of the 10 colours are suitable, but nonetheless find yourself never questioning your eyeshadow purchasing habits and therefore remain in blissful ignorance.
Or, you choose the other path, the one that, despite the demons at the gates and seemingly overpriced cover charge, leads to embarking on a journey to eyeshadow heaven.
After 17 years of walking down the same path, I chose to look into those demons' beautifully and artistically made up eyes and pay the exorbitant entry fee to open the door to a wonderland of colour, texture, beauty, quality and, 99% of the time, no more bad or regrettable eyeshadow choices.
Now, I am not insinuating that M.A.C Sales Assistants are Crossroads Demons but, although they are always beautifully made up, they can look a little intimidating. This may rattle your cage a bit and cause you to second guess going down that path, sending you back down the other path to Clueslessville. All I can say is, don't be afraid, let them guide you and, when you balk at the thought of paying over $20 for any eyeshadow, think of all the money you will save by purchasing what YOU want to sport on your lids because, if you match it dollar for dollar, I'm pretty sure you waste more money buying a whole eyeshadow palette for one colour you like. Remember when we used to buy an entire CD for two songs we liked and still forked out $30? Then iTunes came along and we were given the power of choice which virtually eradicated the money wasted on 18 of 20 songs on a CD that we didn't really like but listened to so that the $30 spent for one or two songs could be justified. This revelation was the catalyst in my forging ahead and opening the gates which took me down a road to eyeshadow paradise, with a little (big) detour via Obsessiontown.
Let's just say it didn't take me all that long to take the detour. Probably somewhere between making my first purchases at the M.A.C Pro Store on Chapel Street and the M.A.C counter at David Jones. On the same day. I would like to say that it was due to convenience, with Chadstone being almost on the way home, but realistically, I think I was on a high. A beautiful, shimmering, endorphin inducing high brought on by the imbibing of massive quantities of hues, finishes and sparkles of the eyeshadows laid out in perfect order at the M.A.C Pro Store. I was a woman on a mission with a DJs Gift Card just begging to be handed over in exchange for my new drug of choice.
It was at this point that I encountered a small problem. You see, most M.A.C counters in department stores only sell eyeshadows in individual pots, not just the little Pro pans which slot into the Pro Palette. So as not to deter me from my purchase, the helpful Sales Assistant (not demonic at all) advised me that I could google a way to pop the pan from the pot to fit it into my palette. Relief washed over me as I realised a measly pot could not deter me from my mission to fill every little spot in the palette. After carefully choosing my shades, I handed over the Gift Card, a few extra dollars (the individual pots are more expensive than the pans) and walked away with my chic little M.A.C carrier bag holding my new treasures and a Mission (not so) Impossible on my hands.
Once home, I googled a way to pop the eyeshadows from their pans and went ahead with my task. I am not at all going to take credit for the de-popping exercise, so I will direct you to this website for tips http://www.makeupaddict.org/maceyedepot.html and admit that I enlisted the assistance of my very handy husband to pluck the pearl from the oyster (he's French, they're good with those types of things). We didn't exactly use the same utensils as in the demonstration, in our case a blowtorch was involved, and I sat to the side and looked on with baited breath as my handy husband expertly freed my gems from their plastic holding cells and I was able to behold their exquisite beauty.
Expensive Pink (Veluxe Pearl)
A bright and happy shade that reminds me of pink champagne, laced with gold. Hence the expensive!
Naked Lunch (Frost)
Now this is really like the Pearl from the Oyster. It has a slightly pinkish hue and blends like a dream. I guess you could say that the colour is slightly naked but the lunch part... oh, hang on.. I think I just got it...
The only downside to this exercise is that the pans don't have little magnets to secure them in the Pro Palette. The upside - I had two plastic pots ready to go back to M.A.C!
You may think that my foray into the world of M.A.C eyeshadows ended here, I mean, I bought 5 in one day. That's crazy, isn't it? But the crazy didn't stop there. It got worse. Before I knew it I was a full blown eyeshadow addict, and I wasn't going to any support group to stop it.
Stay tuned for the bender to end all benders on my final trip towards Paradise.
You can choose to go down the safe, worn, well trodden path and continue your life of buying random eyeshadows that don't really go together but looked good in the plastic tester pan at the local pharmacy, or palettes that are thrown out after a few months because only 3 of the 10 colours are suitable, but nonetheless find yourself never questioning your eyeshadow purchasing habits and therefore remain in blissful ignorance.
Or, you choose the other path, the one that, despite the demons at the gates and seemingly overpriced cover charge, leads to embarking on a journey to eyeshadow heaven.
After 17 years of walking down the same path, I chose to look into those demons' beautifully and artistically made up eyes and pay the exorbitant entry fee to open the door to a wonderland of colour, texture, beauty, quality and, 99% of the time, no more bad or regrettable eyeshadow choices.
Now, I am not insinuating that M.A.C Sales Assistants are Crossroads Demons but, although they are always beautifully made up, they can look a little intimidating. This may rattle your cage a bit and cause you to second guess going down that path, sending you back down the other path to Clueslessville. All I can say is, don't be afraid, let them guide you and, when you balk at the thought of paying over $20 for any eyeshadow, think of all the money you will save by purchasing what YOU want to sport on your lids because, if you match it dollar for dollar, I'm pretty sure you waste more money buying a whole eyeshadow palette for one colour you like. Remember when we used to buy an entire CD for two songs we liked and still forked out $30? Then iTunes came along and we were given the power of choice which virtually eradicated the money wasted on 18 of 20 songs on a CD that we didn't really like but listened to so that the $30 spent for one or two songs could be justified. This revelation was the catalyst in my forging ahead and opening the gates which took me down a road to eyeshadow paradise, with a little (big) detour via Obsessiontown.
Let's just say it didn't take me all that long to take the detour. Probably somewhere between making my first purchases at the M.A.C Pro Store on Chapel Street and the M.A.C counter at David Jones. On the same day. I would like to say that it was due to convenience, with Chadstone being almost on the way home, but realistically, I think I was on a high. A beautiful, shimmering, endorphin inducing high brought on by the imbibing of massive quantities of hues, finishes and sparkles of the eyeshadows laid out in perfect order at the M.A.C Pro Store. I was a woman on a mission with a DJs Gift Card just begging to be handed over in exchange for my new drug of choice.
It was at this point that I encountered a small problem. You see, most M.A.C counters in department stores only sell eyeshadows in individual pots, not just the little Pro pans which slot into the Pro Palette. So as not to deter me from my purchase, the helpful Sales Assistant (not demonic at all) advised me that I could google a way to pop the pan from the pot to fit it into my palette. Relief washed over me as I realised a measly pot could not deter me from my mission to fill every little spot in the palette. After carefully choosing my shades, I handed over the Gift Card, a few extra dollars (the individual pots are more expensive than the pans) and walked away with my chic little M.A.C carrier bag holding my new treasures and a Mission (not so) Impossible on my hands.
Once home, I googled a way to pop the eyeshadows from their pans and went ahead with my task. I am not at all going to take credit for the de-popping exercise, so I will direct you to this website for tips http://www.makeupaddict.org/maceyedepot.html and admit that I enlisted the assistance of my very handy husband to pluck the pearl from the oyster (he's French, they're good with those types of things). We didn't exactly use the same utensils as in the demonstration, in our case a blowtorch was involved, and I sat to the side and looked on with baited breath as my handy husband expertly freed my gems from their plastic holding cells and I was able to behold their exquisite beauty.
A bright and happy shade that reminds me of pink champagne, laced with gold. Hence the expensive!
Now this is really like the Pearl from the Oyster. It has a slightly pinkish hue and blends like a dream. I guess you could say that the colour is slightly naked but the lunch part... oh, hang on.. I think I just got it...
The only downside to this exercise is that the pans don't have little magnets to secure them in the Pro Palette. The upside - I had two plastic pots ready to go back to M.A.C!
You may think that my foray into the world of M.A.C eyeshadows ended here, I mean, I bought 5 in one day. That's crazy, isn't it? But the crazy didn't stop there. It got worse. Before I knew it I was a full blown eyeshadow addict, and I wasn't going to any support group to stop it.
Stay tuned for the bender to end all benders on my final trip towards Paradise.
xo AllisonWonderland
Monday, June 8, 2015
Napoleon Perdis GWP @ David Jones
Your 8 piece gift, valued by Napoleon Perdis at $289, available exclusively at David Jones with purchase of $79 or more from the Napoleon Perdis range.
Offer available only in one transaction and while stocks last.
**Personal Comment : I have only had tried one NP product, but this gift looks pretty good to me.
Offer available only in one transaction and while stocks last.
**Personal Comment : I have only had tried one NP product, but this gift looks pretty good to me.
Lancôme GWP at David Jones
With any purchase from the Lancôme Genefique range at your David Jones counter, receive your complimentary gift including Bi-Facil 30ml, Hypnôse Doll Eyes mascara 2ml & mini Le Crayon Khôl pencil.
Promotion from 10 May 2015 and ends on 5 July 2015 (or while stocks last, whichever occurs earlier).
**Personal comment : I love stocking up on these types of GWPs, saves having to buy mascara and eye makeup remover!!
Promotion from 10 May 2015 and ends on 5 July 2015 (or while stocks last, whichever occurs earlier).
**Personal comment : I love stocking up on these types of GWPs, saves having to buy mascara and eye makeup remover!!
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Foundation Face-Off!
M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation v Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
In the Red Corner we have the newest edition to the M.A.C Foundation Family "Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation" and in the Blue Corner we have longstanding heavy weight "Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup".
Both boast staying power and whole host of other wonderful benefits from flawless coverage to humidity resistance, but only one can win the title of AllisonWonderland's inaugural
FOUNDATION FACE-OFF!
Red Corner:
M.A.C Pro Longwear Nourishing
Waterproof Foundation
Blue Corner:
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
Are You Ready to RUMBLE??
First up, let us set the categories for comparison.
1. Colour Match and Consistency
2. Blending and Coverage
3. Wear and Tear
4. Brass Tacks
Round 1 : Colour Match and Consistency
M.A.C
A relatively liquid consistency, not too runny so as to waste or drip all over the place like a boxer in his last round, and not too thick to make to make you think that said boxer has gone one too many rounds of the kitchen. There are 16 shades to choose from so you should meet your match.
 |
| NW20 |
"A tenacious waterproof formula that can be used as a foundation or concealer,
wearing for an unprecedented 24 hours."
Estée Lauder
This foundation, although liquid, is a very different consistency to M.A.C. It's a lot more....liquid... Although not enough to drip like our friend the boxer. You don't need to go back to the pot very often with this one. I think for a light to medium coverage, a dab to each part of the face would suffice. Rinse and repeat if desired. Insofar as shade choices, there are also 16. I'm not sure they go as dark or light as M.A.C, but I would probably need to go in store again and inspect closely. For me, Cool Bone is pretty good, but perhaps a little more towards the yellow undertones compared to M.A.C as you will see from the pot photo.
 |
| Cool Bone
|
"15-hour staying power. Flawless all day. This worry-free, long-wearing makeup stays fresh and looks natural through heat, humidity, nonstop activity."
www.esteelauder.com.au
www.esteelauder.com.au
Winner of Round 1:
I'm sorry, it's a draw. The colour of M.A.C versus the consistency of Estée Lauder makes it hard to find a clear winner. I love the colour of M.A.C but I'm finding that the pot of Estée Lauder is almost bottomless...
Round 2 : Blending and Coverage
Let's talk coverage... whilst both can cover their territory light a lightweight boxer, Estée Lauder does require a little more help if you want a more 'made-up' look. Problem with this is, without extreme care, you can accidentally end up being a little heavy handed on the second pass. On the other hand, M.A.C is a little less needy in this domain. It can also act as the double agent and pass as a concealer. That is a big plus in the wallet department and gives any opponent a bit of a psych-out.
Blending... Again, Estée Lauder is great first up and, true to its name, stays in place and doesn't pull any punches. This means that it can be hard to blend highlighters and even a second layer after the first has set. It's a fast little one! Great if you want no fuss, light/medium coverage, not so great if you like to add other products on top. M.A.C on the other hand just seems to be the consistent hitter in this domain. Buildable and doesn't surprise you when you come to use a highlighter or other products.
 |
| M.A.C |
 |
| Estée Lauder |
Winner of Round 2:
M.A.C is the clear winner for me here. I like that I can work with the foundation, not against it. And I can skip on the concealer if I need to.
Round 3 : Wear and Tear
This is going to be a very tough round as it is highly subjective, so I am going to outline the other points I look for personally in a foundation.
Comfort :
As previously mentioned, I have super dry skin and was warned off the M.A.C foundation when I first went to the counter as it could possibly stick to dry areas throughout the day. Going into Winter, I had started experiencing extreme dryness under my eyes so I was a little put-off when the SA mentioned the drying effect. I must say that I have been pleasantly surprised. CAVEAT : I am going to throw in a little pitch for Clarins as I recently changed my exfoliant to Bright Plus HP Gentle Brightening Exfoliator, and eye crème to the "Special" Eye Contour Balm Dry Skin. I have found they really help with those dry areas. If you have dry skin, I think that exfoliation and moisturising is key for both products.
I wear my makeup for around 12 hours or so a day, and don't experience excessive dryness at the end of the day with either. Sure, it doesn't feel like I'm wearing nothing at all on my face, but that is also a reality of wearing a full face of makeup the whole day long.
SPF:
I usually look for a high Sun Protection Factor in a foundation due to my aforementioned dry and pale skin. I work in an office environment, but I do like to know that I could go to the beach for a couple of hours and not have to wear sunscreen beneath my foundation. Although the Estée Lauder foundation only has an SPF of 10, that is 10 more than M.A.C., which I find a bit disappointing. Something to take into consideration.
Meltdowns :
No, I haven't turned this into an episode of "Toddlers and Tiaras", but the melt factor is an important one for me. I try to go to the gym 3-5 times a week at lunchtime to get me away from the desk. Although unseemly, sweating is a common side effect of exercise. I don't sweat like our friend the boxer, but I do get a sheen and sometimes a slow drip if I'm pushing it on the bike. Although I really reluctantly use the shower at the gym (yes, I remember the Comedy Company jingle from the 80s about the woes of showering at the gym ...) I really don't like having to wash everything off my face and start again as that would probably double my lunch hour and my skincare/makeup stocks. Therefore, it is good to have a foundation that can pass the sweat test. Both are pretty good in this domain, they don't seem to change colour (which my Studio Sculpt had a tenancy towards), go a bit blotchy (again, Studio Sculpt, I'm looking at you) and don't rub off all that easily. The only place where M.A.C seems to have the upper hand is around the forehead hairline. Both require a little blot powder on the nose and chin after a workout, but I think that is probably fair enough.
In the past month I have pushed both foundations to the brink, as in application at 6.30am and cleanse off at midnight. I am leaning a little towards M.A.C for the staying power, but realistically I don't think most people would expect that much from their foundation. It is certainly a plus though.
Random Photo Moment:
Don't you just hate it when, for example, you start a new job and they want a photo of you for their intranet? It happened to me recently and it's so not fair to have one bad photo encapsulated as your work image until the end of time...OK maybe I am being a bit melodramatic, but I really hate that photo.
I did a few tests on these foundations for their ability to cope under photographic pressure. I think I had mentioned that a few reviews of Estée Lauder indicated that it can make you look a little ghostly in photos, so I have taken a couple of both foundations in low light, normal light with and without flash.
Low Light
< M.A.C
OR
Estée Lauder>
Normal Light, No Flash
< M.A.C
OR
Estée Lauder>
Normal Light, Flash
< M.A.C
OR
Estée Lauder>
I think both contenders do quite well with a flash and not a ghost to be seen... As for low and normal light, well, there is not much I can do about being in my mid 30s except for sticking to my skincare regime. As for the dark circles, I am going to say what any normal working mother would say - I need more sleep! And possibly a weekly trip to the day spa...
For photos, I think I am leaning slightly towards M.A.C, but I think they are fairly even. Please let me know what you think.
Winner of Round 3:
So, if we add up the winners of the subcategories in this highly subjective round, we have a draw, Estée Lauder, M.A.C and a bit of a lineball (sorry, couldn't find a boxing term for that one, so I resorted to tennis).
Round 4 : Brass Tacks
Well, it looks like this is going to be a bit of a barnburner! And that was boxing terminology. I know cos I looked it up. Estée Lauder is really going to have to pull up its socks here.
What else do we look for in a partner... ahem... sorry, I meant foundation? I would say $$ is probably on the money.
M.A.C
Price : AU$54
Size : 25ml
AU$216 / 100ml
Container : Tube
Estée Lauder
Price : AU$50
Size : 30ml
AU$166.50 / 100ml
Container : Bottle
Clear winner? Maybe, or maybe not. You see, bottles can be really hard to squeeze out those last few drops so the extra 5ml you get with Estée Lauder may end up in the bin. Evened out at 25ml each, Estée Lauder is saved by the bell by a cheap $4 punch to M.A.C's chin.
Winner of Round 4:
If it all comes down to dollars and sense, Estée Lauder is our clear winner here.
And the winner is.....
This has certainly been no walkout bout, and I don't think I can declare a knockout. I think the deciding round is probably the most subjective. Whilst I might be steered toward M.A.C, I could be swayed by Estée Lauder by a good Gift with Purchase if it comes up at the right time, and Estée Lauder certainly knows how to fight dirty in that ring.
But who said this was going to be a good clean fight?
Thank you for accompanying me in the very first Foundation Face-Off. Now, who do you think the rightful winner is?
xo AllisonWonderland
PS. Ironically, If you purchase a product online from M.A.C Australia, your invoice will be from Estée Lauder Pty Ltd.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Shiseido GWP at Myer
Wow, after what seemed like a bit of a drought, GWP season is finally upon us, and Shiseido is not disappointing!
When you purchase 2 products at Myer (one being skincare), you can choose your eight piece gift (pictured below the Benefiance Wrinkleresist24 Gift, valued at $169):
This is just one of four gifts, the others being Hydration Gift (valued at $143), White Lucent Gift (valued at $139) and Future Solution LX Gift (valued at $234). Eeiny, meiny, meiny, mo...
When you purchase 2 products at Myer (one being skincare), you can choose your eight piece gift (pictured below the Benefiance Wrinkleresist24 Gift, valued at $169):
 |
| Benefiance Wrinkleresist24 Gift |
Monday, June 1, 2015
Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup
My apologies faithful readers, I had promised a review on Estée Lauder's Double Wear Foundation about three weeks ago, but unfortunately I broke my hand on that day leaving me stranded without the ability to use a keyboard. Thanks to the lovely microphone on my google keyboard which I only just discovered, I can now, albeit belatedly, write this post.
In all honestly, I have actually been using both the new MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof foundation and the Estée Lauder Double Wear foundation for the last 3 weeks and have noticed quite a difference between the two. But it wouldn't be very fair to unveil my conclusion right now without going through the motions.I decided that I should follow exactly the same process as for my MAC review, so here we go...
On Your Marks....
The first part is always the hardest. I love it when celebrities post photos of themselves sans makeup, or WHO does a 'Stars Without Makekup' special, but honestly, are they for real? I'm here to tell you that my photos are the real deal. I don't own Photoshop and I also don't think it fair on my lovely readers or the experiment in itself to cheat. So here goes nothing... Once more a clean slate and no makeup. Just my Cheezle routine of cleanser, toner, Santal Oil, moisturiser, eye crème and MAC primer serum. That's it. Now I have written it all down it does seem like a lot... |
| Somebody looks like an unhappy camper... The flash isn't fair |
Get Set...
I was quite lucky when I went to the Estée Lauder counter at Myer in the city. I got a pretty decent sample of the foundation in Cool Bone which I am still using. The colour is quite good in terms of a match and the consistency is a lot more liquid than the MAC foundation. It goes on easily enough with the fingers however the sales assistant did advise that a brush should be used. Estée Lauder describes the foundation as 15 hour long wearing, medium coverage and (if you weren't already convinced) their #1 makeup. I think we will be the judge of that!As with the MAC foundation it is buildable to quite a full coverage. After applying the foundation I used my MAC concealer, Nutrimetics powder then some of my YSL Touche Eclat highlighter. An important point to note is that the foundation dries really quickly rendering it difficult to add anything on top, highlighter for example. Let's see if our unhappy camper looks a little more chipper now.
 |
| A little better... although I'm beginning to think the subject just doesn't like camping! |
And We're Off!
Now for the fun part. To keep the variables to a minimum, I used exactly the same colours as for the MAC review. I had read some reviews on Make-up Alley that suggested that faces appear to be quite white in photos, so I decided to take a few shots in different lights, with and without flash. |
| Low light |
 |
| Morning light no flash |
Behold! The Results...
I think our camper has ditched the tent and gone home to civilisation. I guess her chances of becoming a contestant on 'Survivor' is no longer on the cards for her.
Camping is sooo overrated anyway.
 |
| Morning light flash |
So... What do you think?xo AllisonWonderland
Next up : Foundation Face-Off... MAC v Estée Lauder - Winner takes all (or at least, my purchase...)
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