YSL Shocking Mascara review – Quite a Shocking Verdict!

I finally splashed out the other day on a new mascara because I’m still on my quest for my Holy Grail of mascaras! And I’d heard rave reviews about the YSL Shocking Mascara from like every Youtuber and beauty blogger going around.

I got the sales girl to try it on me before I bought it, and I was very happy with the immediate result even using the disposable mascara brushes which were different to the one that came in the bottle.

The Look I’m After: I want a big fan of long, thick, plush looking lashes. I want them to look really bold and almost false in appearance because they look so good and fluttery!

So after trying YSL Shocking for a week, what do I think of it?

The Cost: 

Very expensive and high end at $52. If it worked amazingly then I’d be alright with splashing out occasionally on a brilliant mascara. But not in this case...

The Packaging:

It is very luxurious and glamorous looking. I love the gold shiny bottle, the ‘Shocking’ written along the side, the twist top that clicks into place and how visible and bold it looks. One of the best mascara packaging I have ever seen!

The Formula:

The formula is very wet and creamy, and has an almost gel like and glossy texture to it. It’s very thick and when it’s on the brush it looks quite clumpy and lumpy. I do like the richness and the pigmentation of the black colouring. It is also scented with a quite strong rose fragrance, that actually irritates my eyes (I don’t even have sensitive eyes). Some people may appreciate the wetness of it because it allows you to layer better, but I just found it got stickier and clumpier the more it was layered.

The Brush:

The brush is absolutely terrible. The bristles are way too short and far apart, and tonnes of gunky formula gets stuck between them. The brush is supposed to distribute the mascara in a hexagonal distribution pattern, but it just makes for a clumpy, wet mess. I feel the brush is what lets the whole mascara down.

The Overall Look and Experience:

All the lashes end up getting stuck together into about 4-5 main points. There is barely any definition, and the ‘volume’ that occurs is just as a result of the wet formula gathering at the base of the lashes. I curl my lashes every day because they are very straight and because this formula is so heavy and thick, the curl drops to being nonexistent within a few hours. There is virtually no length added on and instead of volumising my lashes, it ends up making them look even sparser than before because all my lashes stick together and it makes me look like I have even less lashes.

Overall I just am insanely disappointed with this. My eyes feel irritated and heavy when I use it due to the intense fragrance and the heaviness of the formula weighing my lashes down. Without a curl my lashes just look bland and unimpressive. I wanted the look of a full fan of long and thick lashes, and this achieves neither. Plus it set me back $52!

Verdict: C- (and that’s probably being too nice)

Perhaps when I went to the store and they tried it on me first, their disposable thick bristled brushes worked with the formula way better and it looked far nicer. They were able to distribute the product in much better manner. But with the brush that it comes with, it just takes so much time and effort to get them looking even vaguely nice. Every time I choose to use this I end up wishing I had chosen one of my other mascaras. 

To be honest I should have simply paid more attention to what the Sales girls lashes looked like. She was wearing Shocking and her lashes were so clumped together there were virtually 5 points and it reminded me of a star. I don’t know whether she thought this looked good, but I remember thinking ‘it’s okay I can just apply it differently to get the look I want’.

So I am going to try and return this today (they let me phew!). What a depressing experience! I have heard that it works far better with a primer such as Dior’s Lash Maximiser underneath, but I shouldn’t have to spend over $100 to get nice lashes. It should just work brilliantly on its own. I don’t understand why this works so much better for others, how can so many people love it if this is how it works and looks? I’ve tried everything to apply it nicely as well, such a slow wiggle, doing the tips first, layering it, etc.

I thought this would be my Holy Grail, but now the search continues. I think I’m going to examine the Dior mascaras as I’ve used Diorshow Extace before and absolutely loved that.

Any suggestions from you guys would be enormously appreciated. Let me know what your favourite mascaras are and what you recommend I should try! And tell me if you’ve had an experience with YSL Shocking and what you think of it?

Haul of the Week

This week I did quite a bit of lunchtime and after work shopping. I went to Chapel St twice this week! For those who don’t know, Chapel St is located a quick 5 minute train ride out of the city and it is the most incredible street packed full of the coolest shops, bars, restaurants, boutiques and everything else under the sun considered trendy. For instance it’s where the first Australian Topshop decided to set up shop, choosing this location in preference to the renowned fashion capital of Melbourne city centre.

So what did I buy this week?

A Haircut

I went to Chapel St to get my hair cut from my new hairdresser who I’ve only been to once before. He considers himself to be a hair stylist rather than a hair cutter, and the way he works on your hair more resembles an artist than man with scissors. He is all about texture and shaping your hair so it’s so full of movement and body.

My hair is naturally very thick, straight and long with grown out long layers. After cutting the basic shape whilst dry, he then washed my hair with incredible products, threw in a scalp massage, and then cut my hair wet and followed that with a blow-dry. My hair was left more layered, with softer ones around my face that frame my features really well. My hair feels so much lighter, sits naturally so much better, and just looks a lot healthier and shinier. I’m really happy with my haircut!

Orofluido Shampoo and Conditioner

When I was there my hairdresser recommended some shampoo and conditioner to me. It contains three natural oils - Argan, Cyperus and Linseed, and is said to leave hair silky, loose and shiny.

I bought it and after one use I’m unsure whether I love it. The packaging is gorgeous and it smells absolutely divine. I was told I only need a small coin sized amount of both, so tried that. But I found that the shampoo formula did not froth or lather up, and due to this, such a small amount just shampooed one small section of my hair. And my hair is so long. I ended up having to use a lot more than that and even when I had a lot it never seemed to froth up! For some reason I felt it didn’t clean as well due to the lack of foaming. 

My hairdresser did say it was a very natural product free from chemicals, and chemicals aid the frothing in the formulation so perhaps this is why. The conditioner felt very moisturizing and conditioning which was a plus. Afterwards, my hair smelt beautiful, shined like no other shampoo has made it before, had minimal frizz and was very sleek, and felt so much lighter and healthier. So I guess it really did work and did what it claimed on the packaging. I think the shampoo just really let down the products, and the actual shampooing experience was less enjoyable than usual with no foaminess! 

I most likely wouldn’t repurchase as at $25 each I feel you can get better products for your money. I’ll let you know in an update on here if I continue to use it and my experience with it improves.

So so shiny!

Topshop Shop

Nail polish - Flamingo Coral 

I love this colour, I’ve been searching for a medium toned peach pink warm pastel for ages, and this one just looked perfect in the bottle. It looks even better on my nails, and somehow makes my pale skin look more tanned which is always a plus! Brilliant Summer/Spring colour, and loving it on my nails right now. It cost about $10 and the colour is Flamingo Coral. Love it, lasts ages with my Seche Vite topcoat, and applies beautifully. Highly recommend.

*Looks slightly more corally peach than here

Earrings trio

I really wanted a few more small earrings that don’t dangle on my ear lobes, and I fell in love with the bigger dusty pink ones in this trio. And for only $12, it was a great buy to get three pairs of earrings. Really happy with them, they're cheap, look great on, go with everything. Very satisfied with this purchase. In general though I really don't like Topshop jewellery, so it was good to finally find something in the range.

MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow

One of my four pan palettes had one spot free and I’ve been dying to buy a refill pan for it for ages to complete the foursome! After a long peruse in the MAC Pro shop on Chapel St, I managed to narrow it down to this colour. I really wanted a champagne neutral colour that stood out a bit more than a more subtle colour like Naked Lunch. And I loved the swatch of this on the back of my hand. This refill pan cost $26.

I’m quite happy with it, but think it has a slight orange tinge against my pale skin which I don’t entirely appreciate. Perhaps this will look better on me in the upcoming summer with more of a tan. I also think this suits my blue eyed and/or blonde haired friends better than me. I’ll have to keep playing with it and see how it goes, but I’m slightly disappointed. Any suggestions on what you wear this colour with or how you wear it would be appreciated... I really want to love it! 

Tony Bianco Flats

I fell in love with these taupe leather black bowed flats in the store, and even more when I tried them on. They have an incredible cushioned sole which makes them the most comfortable flat I’ve ever worn. I just had to buy them, plus they match my much worn favourite Mimco Taupe bag. I tend to wear pretty flats to work then change into high heels for the day, because my commute does not mix well with heels. So these will be great to wear with my office clothes every day (my office dress is quite semi-formal, and more stylish than full suits etc). These flats cost me $75.

So that's about it! Let me know if you have any comments about any of these purchases, or any recommendations about the All That Glitters eyeshadow - I really want to love it! 

Hope you guys all have a great weekend, and depending on where you are in the world - happy start of Spring/Autumn/Fall! :)

MAC Lunchtime Haul

The other day on one of my work lunch breaks I stopped by the MAC counter and purchased Sable eye shadow and the Teddy eyeliner pencil and sharpener. 

If you recall my August Favourite Beauty Products post I wrote recently, I stated that I hadn’t found my holy grail eyeliner.

WELL... now I can say I think I just may have stumbled across it. Teddy is incredible!

Teddy is a rich and fairly dark gorgeous brown with subtle gold flecks. It is an eye kohl and one of MAC’s softer pencils. It is so smooth and creamy to apply and smudges brilliantly when you need it to, but once it’s on it doesn’t budge all day on my eye lids. It also suits my eye colour really well, bringing out the gold flecks in my eyes. It’s great to apply along my lash lines and smudge into my top lashes, as it makes my lashes look much thicker. The brown is much more flattering on my eyes than black, and Teddy is a great office appropriate choice.

Teddy

Considering I already have some quite similar MAC brown eye shadows, such as Mulch and Satin Taupe, I probably didn’t really ‘need’ Sable. But that’s no fun is it! Sable is a warmer version of Satin Taupe, and it’s more of a reddish coppery medium tone brown. It's a Frost, so it has a pretty pearlescent shine to it rather than shimmer. 

I really like it, particularly as a crease colour with Naked Lunch across my eyelid. It sort of achieves that brown/mauve/pinkish look that I mentioned I was seeking in my Maybelline Haul post a couple of weeks ago. 

Sable

Because everyone seems to want to know how it compares to it’s quite similar Satin Taupe cousin, here are the two of them swatched together:

Top: Satin Taupe; Middle: Sable; Bottom: Teddy

L-R Satin Taupe and Sable

Which do you prefer? Like I said in my Colours Post, I’m a cool toned person, so I think Satin Taupe suits me better as a more prominent colour (i.e. all over my lid), but I much prefer Sable in my crease as it’s so incredibly pretty.

Both Teddy and Sable were $32, and they are available from any MAC counter or store.

Do you own either of these products? If so what are your thoughts on them? 

My Favourite Beauty Products - August 2012

Thought you might like a glimpse into the beauty products I love. This is not an exhaustive list, but comprises my current favourites in all areas. I will update it as my preferences change, and keep in mind this is simply a list, more comprehensive reviews of items will come later.

Foundation:
-Liquid: Use The Body Shop Moisture Foundation (#2) as a day foundation, and NARS Sheer Glow (Mont Blanc) at night/special occasions. When these run out I’m purchasing Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. Haven’t quite found my Holy Grail foundation yet, but I absolutely loved the Chanel sample they tried on me in store. So fingers crossed it is The One!

-Powder: Use Maybelline Mineral Power Powder Foundation (Classic Ivory, Light 2) everyday when can’t be bothered to do liquid (did a review on this below).

 

Also, I always use MAC Prep + Prime Translucent Poweder on my T-zone to set my liquid foundation and stop it looking shiny.

Skin Primer:

Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer

Blush:
NARS Deep Throat Blush

Bronzer:
NARS Laguna Bronzer

Highlighter:
Napoleon Perdis The Ultimate Contour Palette (Comes with blush, bronzer and highlighter)

Eye shadow:

MAC eye shadows hands down! My favourites are MAC Satin Taupe for day, and MAC Club for night.

Mascara/Lashes:
-MAC Plush Lash was the best I’ve used so far, but I’m still searching for my holy grail mascara. I’m always seeking big, bold, intense volume lashes.

-I also use the Ardell Heated Eyelash Curler

Eye Liner:
Tend to use an angled brush and eye shadow to line my eyes, but if I want a solid/liquid looking line I use Maybelline Blackest Black Gel Liner.

Eye Primer:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance Anti-Crease Eye Shadow Primer

Lips:
-Balm: Revlon Lip Butter in Strawberry Shortcake and Burt’s Bees in Pink Blossom
-Gloss: MAC Hot Pink (It’s a nice subtle pink, not like the name suggests)
-Lipstick: MAC Sweetie, but I don’t tend to wear a lot of lipsticks. I favour lip tints and coloured balms and gloss.

Skincare (Face wash, toner, moisturiser, scrub, serum):
-Dermalogica is my favourite brand of Skincare. I use the Essential Cleansing Solution, the Multi-Active Toner, the Skin Smoothing Cream, and the Gentle Cream Exfoliant.
I also use Clarins HydraQuench Cream (Normal to Dry Skin) and the HydraQuench Cream-Mask (Dehydrated Skin). I alternate the Clarins HydraQuench Intensive Serum Bi-Phase and the Dior One Essential Skin Boosting Super Serum.

Fragrance:
My favourite is Gucci Eau de Parfum II, followed by Miss Dior Cherie and Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom and Honey

Nails:

OPI and Essie are my favourite polish brands. I love Essie’s Mint Candy Apple (Pale Green) and OPI’s Mod About You (Pale Pink)

Bath/Shower Products
Love Lush bath bombs (particularly Butterball!), St Ives Vanilla Shower Gel, I Love...Strawberries & Milkshakes Bubble Bath (and really want to try Philosophy’s Cinnamon Buns-it smells divine!)

Hair Products

Moroccan Oil Treatment , PPS Hydralite Shampoo and Conditioner

Hair Tools
GHD straighter and Babyliss Conical Wand.

NOTE: Still seeking my dream foundation, mascara, eyeliner, and shampoo/conditioner (what I use I do like a lot, but I feel there are better products out there!). Any recommendations appreciated!

But everything else I 100% love and would recommend hands down! I’ll tell you more in the comprehensive reviews to follow...

So that’s my basic list of what I use and love. Is your list similar? What are your Holy Grail products you 100% love and would recommend?

Real Techniques brushes in Australia

When I was in Priceline the other day, I stumbled by chance across a surprise display...

A whole shelf full of Real Techniques brushes by Sam Chapman (aka of pixiwoo Youtube fame). I had no idea they were available in Australia! So many of my favourite Youtubers (like Tanya Burr) use these brushes and I’ve always wanted to try them.

I purchased the Stippling Brush for $22.95. I’ve wanted it for a while so it was perfect that it was there so I didn’t have to order it online. I wanted this brush in particular because of how it buffs foundation into your skin and leaves a flawless finish.

It has a flat head and is comprised of ‘dual fibres’, with a sturdy half metallic, half velvety matte rubber handle that can stand up on its own. I tried it this morning and I was really impressed with the finish of my foundation after using it. I use this foundation a lot and this was the best it had ever looked. My skin looked so natural and flawless, and the foundation sat on my skin better than it ever has done. I usually use a flat foundation brush to apply my foundation, but this stippling brush has a far better finish than that and doesn’t leave the streaks that a flat brush can.

Verdict: Soft, well designed brush, attractive self standing handle, ability to buff foundation to a flawless finish is excellent.

A+

What other brushes from this range have you tried? What should I go back and purchase? What's your can't live without makeup brush?