(Not So) Wordless Wednesday ~ #1

I'm no professional photographer, but I do like clicking pics of random things - shoes, clothes, snails (yes, I really did), the sky, food, my kittens, basically anything that catches my eye or I'm currently loving. Hah, I bet you're thinking Duh, get Instagram! but I prefer my good 'ol camera.


And so, I shall begin my weekly WORDLESS WEDNESDAY posts!! 

'What is it that!?', I hear you ask. Well, in a nutshell, every Wednesday, Bloggers across the blogsphere post pictures with no words or explanations- the picture speaks for itself! 


Ok, so my post isn't so WORDLESS, but I have to do an into, right? Ok, ok! Enough words. Here's my first WORDLESS WEDNESDAY pic... :) ♥

♥Q♥

Beauty Budget Haul ~♥

It's almost impossible to go shopping & not pick up a few beauty items... What started off as a 'quick pop into the grocery store' turned into a 'take a detour to the nearest beauty store & grab something, anything - JUST BUY IT!'


Problem?

Well, luckily I was in a budgeting mood and stayed away from pricier brands Yes, you are welcome my dear Bank Balance.

Here's my loot:

From Left to Right:
♥ Essence Gel Eyeliner Brush
♥ Essense Gel Eyeliner in 'London Baby'
♥ Rimmel The Kate Collection Lipstick in '02'
♥ Catrice Lash Plus Intensive Lash Growth Serum


Reviews and swatches coming up!!

Q♥

Maybelline Fit Me! Blush

When things go on sale, or are greatly discounted, there is a specific reason behind it- especially make-up. As a general rule, I steer clear of buying skin care products or make-up that's on sale because it could either be fast approaching it's 'best before' date or the product is soon to be discontinued/upgraded/revamped.

But, on a mad dash to a health & beauty store, I saw this blush for ONLY R60.00. ''Oh joy!! It's cheap!'', exclaimed my sale-seeking, shopping obsessed Brain. Unfortunately, my Conscience was taking a nap at that very point so, without a second thought, I grabbed the prettiest colour blush and scooted to pay.

So... what was I thinking??? Obviously, I was not thinking.



 
See? It looks stylish, sleek, full of promise! But, what did I get?

It looks like a really old, really bad knock off. Completely different packaging and brush. It didn't occur to me at the time that the packaging and brush is completely different from what I'd seen on the Maybelline website!!! So, what gives???? What a mystery...

Even the brush looks terribly synthetic and cheap.


Well, I thought I'd give it a go, since I'd already bought it. The colour itself is a very pretty, dusky warm pink. However, it barely shows up on my skin. I had to look twice at the brush to make sure I had picked up the product with it! Just so you know, I did some research and many beauties (ranging from NC 20 to NC 42, for skin colour reference) out there complained that it was badly pigmented. It's a barely there blush verging on non-existent. 

It took 5 swipes from the pan to build up enough colour for a swatch. The colour itself is very light & it has a matte texture which is good for day. The brush, however, is quite horrid. It's scratchy, pokey and cheap. Even worse, the bristles began to loosen and fall out after the first use!

 A truly sad case... The only slight redemption is that, when applied over foundation, Maybelline Fit Me! blushes seem to show - it's a light and natural look, suitable for the day.


My Verdict:
An utter waste of time. I should have known better (for the umpteenth time!) but I guess I'll use this blush until I become thoroughly bored with it. 

My Rating:
★☆☆☆☆ It really is that bad. I gave it one star because, after layering and layering and layering this blush does impart a light pink glow.


Price:
Usually ZAR 90. I bought this particular one for ZAR 60. 


Have you had any success with the Maybelline Fit Me! Blush range?

♥Miss. Q♥

Sweet Randomness #4 ~ If Disney Princesses Were Real...

When you were a little girl, did you ever wonder what Disney Princesses would look like in REAL LIFE? I don't mean pretty models dressing up in princess gowns, I mean REALLY REAL. I know I did! I wished & hoped so badly that they existed in a land far, far, away and believed that for awhile... until I grew up & realised that far, far away is an animation studio in California. Sigh.

Still, a girl can dream. Jirka Väätäinen is a graphic design student who probably had the very same dream - she created these realistic works of art featuring the leading ladies of Disney. Just take a look!! ♥








 
 

A Random Skin Care Haul ~ ♥

It all began with a cleanser - I needed a replacement cleanser, nothing more. And then I ended up with this:

Some Avon stuff I had ordered and then forgotten about had arrived too. As if I didn't have enough new skin stuff already... Sigh. I really must learn to control myself. So here's what I got:

You'd think one body lotion is enough? Nope, not for me...
♥ Oh So Heavenly Beauty Sleep Collection Dream Cream - This thing smells DIVINE! Really, I sleep better when I use it.
♥ Vaseline Healthy Even Tone Body Lotion - Because it has an SPF!
♥ Johnson's African Nurture Body Lotion - It was cheap, smells nice and is a new range that uses African flora so, why not? 

My Avon Girl gave me my latest Avon package:
♥ Avon Naturals Milk & Honey Face Cream - which I'll give to my Grandma {^_^}
♥ Avon Naturals Cherry Blossom Shower Gel - which I'm hoping is a dupe of the TBS Japanese Cherry Blossom shower gel
♥ Avon Simply Pretty Cherry Lip Balm - Er.. I am obsessed with lip balms
♥ Avon Advanced techniques Styling comb - which has inexplicable accumulated dust. I got this to comb through wet hair and when conditioning

♥ Oh So Heavenly Beauty Sleep Collection Wish Upon a Star Pillow Mist - Love to spritz this on my pillow and doze...
♥ Garnier Mineral Even deodorant - it smells nice and works!
♥ Oh So Heavenly Beauty Sleep Collection Cool Comfort Lavender Talc - Best used after night bath-time..

♥ Good Things Stay Clear Purifying Cleanser 
♥ Neutrogena Deep Clean Daily Scrub

♥ Essence Colour & Go in Passion for Fashion
♥ Essence 2 in 1 Kajal Pencil in Flirty & Hip
♥ Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer in Golden Beige


I will do reviews on the worth while purchases - especially the cleansers!!

♥Miss. Q♥

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream No. 23

Hi hi! ~♥

This post has been a looong time coming. I just wanted to really test this product out coz well, they say you should use a product for 2 months in order for it to work. Sometimes a product can seem nice at first, but 2 weeks down the line - lo and behold, your skin's a walking nightmare! 

Anywho, BB Creams are THE hottest thing right now & supposed to be a miracle wonder cream. If you still don't know what BB Creams are, then stop hiding under a rock & read about them here. :")

I decided to try out the real-Korean-deal first & ordered a tube on Ebay.

I had ordered Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in No. 23 or Natural Beige in a 20ml tube. Because it's half the size of the full sized product, it does not have a pump.

I did contemplate buying the 40 ml tube, but opted for the 20 ml to try it first before committing to a full sized product. After a month of testing, I've finally reached a conclusion on this one: it's nice.

Not brilliant. Not OH-MY-GAWD-WHERE-HAVE-YOU-BEEN-ALL-MY-LIFE! Not Earth-shatteringly, heart-stoppingly, stop-what-you're-doing-and-stare amazing.

No.

It is just nice. 

Ok, so to be fair I've only tested ONE BB cream out of hundreds of brands, but I was kinda expecting... more. What more is exactly, I don't know, but you know when products are so hyped about, you tend to expect miracles of biblical proportions. Or at least I do!

Anyways, this NICE product is supposed to have a multitude of functions:
♥ lightening (I'm assuming blemish scars here)
♥ healing skin
♥ healing wrinkles
♥ healing blemishes
♥ concealing & covering skin
♥ preventing ageing
♥ anti-wrinkle 
♥ whitening
♥ moisturising
♥ SPF 
 

Some of these functions do seem redundant, no? Well, it did heal my skin somewhat & made my skin feel really smooth & soft- very nice indeed! I did notice less blemishes (although this could be attributed to the recent change of season). It's not the most effective moisturiser & I'm not too sure about the anti-ageing & anti-wrinkle function. I'll tell you in 20 years time. :)

It provided light coverage and, though not concealing scars totally, it did blur them, like someone went to town on my face with an airbrush. It works best on thoroughly cleansed and exfoliated skin- if it isn't then this BB cream does not blend well.
       

 Without BB cream:

Ugh! My skin is a sad mess I tell you!

With BB cream:   

 Marks are still visible, but not so bad!

Pros: 

Missha Perfect Cover BB cream makes my skin feel super soft, smooth & plumped up. I have noticed that my skin looks brighter these days. New blemish scars seem to heal much quicker too which is great! The SPF is a whopping 42 & it's PA+++  which is the highest UVA protection found in Asian skin care. 

The good thing about this BB cream is that it is not oily! I've found that it goes on matte without looking dry, which works wonders for oily-skinned gals like me. Of course, it is a tad drying which may look too mask-like so I'd recommended that you use a light moisturiser, which makes application of the BB cream smoother and easier to blend in.

The little 20 ml tube lasts for ages. I've been using it obsessively for a month & the tube still feels quite full. The scent it pretty, like a baby lotion.  

The biggest Pro for me? It did not cause me to break out!!!!! Oh joy!!!

Cons:

The colour is completely off- it would work for girls who have skin with a pink under tone as the No. 23 is heavily pinkish. Unfortunately, it makes my skin look ghastly & grey for a while, but settles into my skin after about 30mins, which means I have to lurk around my house for 30 mins and then leave. Of course, using regular foundation over the BB cream negates the grayish look BUT this combo makes my skin more oily.

On hot, humid days, this BB cream literally slides off my skin, making it look patchy & can only be rectified with a dusting of powder. It also easily transfers off your face and onto any other surface which is not so nice. But the again, the humid Durban weather plus my ghastly oily skin makes all products slide off my face. Gah!

Oddly enough, when I first tried this BB cream, it made my skin feel itchy in  very odd way, almost like an allergic reaction. I refused to give in, however, and continued to use it. I didn't break out or anything, just had a mild itch. Eventually, I used a moisturiser underneath and it stopped!!  

How to Apply:

Ah, now here is where I had trouble. I applied Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream the same way that foundation is applied- by rubbing in with fingers & using the same amount of product as with foundations. Big, BIG NO-NO! It will only result in a white mask-like face. There's a reason why Korean gals PAT all their product onto their face- gently patting the BB cream onto skin is the correct method. The BB cream blends better & looks more natural. Also, only a pea-sized amount of cream is needed. 

My Verdict:

The biggest deterrent is the colour - I need something with more yellow in it, so perhaps I'll try No.27 next. It's not a bad product, it does work as long as you get the right colour! Would I purchase again? Yes, just a different colour.

My Rating:

★★★☆☆

Price:

USD 5.40 @ Ebay

Thanks for reading!! ^_^* Leave a comment!!

♥Miss. Q♥

Kristen Stewart & Charlize Theron at the 'Snow White and the Huntsman' Premiere

All eyes were on the world premiere of 'Snow White and the Huntsman' in Empire Leicester, London last Monday. What would Kristen Stewart wear?? 

Miss. Stewart certainly looked every inch the Gothic star, stealing the show in this... other-worldly dress by Marchesa.

I gotta say, this dress looks HOT from behind, That silver 'spine' detail is so creepy, it's sexy! 


But when K-Stew turns around...

Attack of the jellyfish? Those patterns look like jellyfish. The positioning of the lace is questionable... Hmm? Wait, no! More like an inkblot test:

 

K-Stew is one of my fave starlets but this dress is just sad... Perhaps the skirt should have been opaque as well as the front of the dress which leaves that interesting back as a focal point. Just a thought.

Who did get it wonderfully right is glam girl Charlize Theron.

Ooh la la!This wicked queen is wickedly stylish!! It's sheer with the right amount of glamour.

Whose dress did you like best- Kristen Stewart's or Charlize Theron's? 

♥Miss. Q♥