PORE STRIPS

BIORE

Ultra Pore Strips

I like to think everyone has that one feature they look at first on another person's face.  I know many of my friends automatically look at a person's eyes and take in the hue, make-up, size and shape.  Quite common.  Oddly enough my go-to facial feature is a person's nose, and the first thing (in my opinion) that can detract from a wonderful nose is big, dirty, porous blackheads!

Blackheads are essentially the pores in your nose that is clogged with pollution, make-up, dirt and all sorts of yucky things!  A blackhead is basically the same as a whitehead, except a blackhead becomes coloured when the clogged pore is exposed to oxygen - inevitable right?

Well,  the most valuable and miraculous beauty fixer on the market (and forever in my beauty bag) is 'Biore Pore Perfect' nose strips.  They are sold in 2 'strengths' i.e. how much it 'glues' to your nose - I always buy the strongest being 'ULTRA nose strip'.

I love, love, love these and they are a staple to my beauty routine.   Basically I ex foliate twice a week in a warm shower, then step straight out while my nose is wet and the pores are open from the heat (consequently loosening the dirt clogged in the pores) and apply a strip to my nose and rip off after 10 minutes.  AND IT WORKS!!!

I won't lie it does make your eyes water a bit, but it's worth it when you see the disgusting gunk it takes away from your pores.  I would say results last for a week, with best results seen after consistent weekly use.

Here are my results (bear in mind this the second strip of the week, so I don't have that many blackheads):

Before the Pore Strip

Pore Strip applied

Packaging/Instructions

Pore Strip removed; covered in blackheads!

After Pore Strip

Powder Contouring

IT Cosmetics 
'Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Face'
Contouring Using Powder Makeup 

 

Make-up contouring has always fascinated me. Whether your face is oval, round, square or diamond makeup can be used to 'sculpt' your face creating an illusion of a different shape - magic! 

Contouring can be achieved using liquid foundations, powders or concealers.  

After reviewing many Youtube videos such as this one (Tyra Banks contours in 5 mins) - Link!

I decided I would try my hand at contouring using powders first. 

The product i have purchased to begin powder contouring is IT Cosmetics Live, Love, Laugh Vitality Face compact makeup.  The compact is sectioned into 3 parts; a matte bronzer, rosy blush and shimmery highlighter.  The compact also comes with a handy built in mirror under the lid. 

To begin contouring I take a brush and dip it into the matte bronzer, i then brush a semi-hard bronze line beginning from under my cheekbone near my ear to the corner of my mouth.  I also use the bronzer lightly on my jaw and on the crown of my forehead.  Secondly I dip my brush into the rosy blush colour and brush this onto the apples of my cheek spreading the blush lighly upwards on my cheekbones (the colour is mostly concentrated on the apples of my cheek), lastly I use the highlighter above my cheekbones, under my eyes, on my brow bones, on the bridge of my nose (to create a slimmer, straighter nose). 

This is a great illustration of high and low contouring:

PRODUCT STAT REVIEW:

Packaging: 10/10 - easy to open flip top box

Design: 7/10 - convenient and useful

Originality: 6/10 - there are a few other compact contour kits on the market

Price: 5/10 - purchased for $45 AUD online

Effectiveness:  6/10 - creates a subtle difference

Fuctions as claimed (advertised): 10/10

Recommend to a friend: 5/10 - may not suit all skintones

* Important Tip : light colors will highlight features, emphasize and make them larger/more prominent, while dark colors will shade, create shadow, minimize, reduce/recede features and create the illusion of depth.

Eyebrow Pencil

Models Prefer 
Retractable Eyebrow Pencil

 Eyebrows literally frame your face and different eyebrow shapes can create dramatic changes to the look of your face.  Now if you have sparse eyebrow hairs, or short eyebrow hairs or would even like to glamorise the look of your eyebrows then i recommend Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil.

It is cheap, easy to use and comes in three colours light, medium and dark.  Now the beauty of this product comes in 3 points:

1. The pencil is crayon based.  This means it is easier to use, doesnt rip out hairs like some pencils do when pressed hard against your brow, and you can control the shape, length and density of the product quite easily.

2. The other side of the Eyebrow Pencil is a mascara-like wand, which creates hair like strokes in turn blending natuarally into your eyebrow.

3. THE CONVENIENCE!  It takes me 3 seconds to do both eyebrows which makes 100% difference in my look for the day.  It is less fuss and mess then powered eyebrow fillers and you can chuck it in your bag for further touch ups during the day - not that it's needed.

Above: Crayon (Pencil end)

Above: Mascara wand end for creating realistic hair strokes

Above: Varying degrees of colour (via pressure) using the 'medium' shade

Beauty Stats
Packaging: 10/10

Design: 7/10

Originality: 5/10

Price: 9/10

Effectiveness:  9/10 (definitely notice a difference when i have not used it!)

Functions as claimed (advertised): 10/10

Recommend to a friend: 9/10

Eyelash Curler

Models Prefer
Eyelash Curler

I want my eyelashes to be bigger, fatter, stronger, faster...ok maybe not faster, but in today's mega beauty industry there are an endless array of products claiming just that!  Now before I max out my credit card and my (meagre) life's savings on eyelash primers, mascara's, eye liner illuminators, eyebrow illuminators, false eyelashes etc - you get the point, there are alot of products claiming to change or enhance your eyes.  I decided to start from the very basics, the mother of all eye utensils : the eyelash curler.

Browsing through the beauty 'utensil' aisle of my local Priceline store i am overwhelmed by the vast amount of varying eyelash curlers on the market, each  'promising' AMAZING changes to your little ole' lashes. 

On average i base my selection of purchases on price.  Yes that's right, i'm a quantity not quality girl, which is great because I have trillions of products I am dying to review.  So based on my price-point average I trawled through the products looking for the cheapest eyelash curler made of steel or aluminium only - not putting plastic near these pretty peepers! 

I eventually settled on the Models Prefer Eyelash curler:

It comes packaged in a plastic, flip top box.  Apart from the sharp edging it's pretty average packaging.  At the time of purchase I purhased one for $6.99 (AUD) - which is one of the lowest priced eyelash curlers in the store.  The curler itself is quite sturdy and the most appealing fact was the size of the head of the curler.  I wouldnt say i have huge or oddly shaped eyes but this curler fit perfectly over the length and shape of my eyes and picked up about 80% of the eyelashes on the first 'crimp'. 

Overall i am quite satisified with this purchase and have provided a list of consumer product stats (1 being worst, 10 being best) below:

I'll put up pics with me with and without the curler and i'll also trial manually heating the curler with a haridryer and see if that gives me more curl.

Beauty stats:
Packaging: 5/10

Design: 7/10 (no additional feature i.e. heat)

Originality: 2/10 (plenty on the market)

Price: 9/10

Effectiveness:  9/10 (definetely notice a difference when i have not used it!)

Fuctions as claimed (advertised): 10/10

Recommend to a friend: 9/10