Thursday 18 December 2014

The Parcel - Summer Edit

The Parcel is one of the newest beauty subscription boxes to hit the market. Unlike most of the other subscription boxes out there, the Parcel comes out quarterly and all of the items in it are handpicked by the editors at Marie Claire. 

For the summer edition of the Parcel, I decided to film an unboxing (I know, I know, I said I was going to be taking a break but hey, else can a beauty blogger do when a new subscription box lands on her doorstep>). This is the second Parcel that I have received and so far, I have been VERY impressed with the contents. You can check out my unboxing video here.


Tuesday 16 December 2014

A Christmas Break

Hello to all my lovely readers,

This is just a very quick post to say that KaBOOM! Cosmetics will be very quiet for the next few weeks as I'm taking a little break from blogging. I will be back in early January with more fabulous new content and fun new videos. That's not to say that I won't post the odd video now and again and my Instagram will probably be as busy as ever (I'm addicted, I seriously need help) but there will be no regular posts until early next year.

A huge thank you to everyone who has supported me so far in my first year of blogging, it really means more than you know! I've had a rollercoaster of a year and I'm looking forward to a well deserved break to recharge my batteries and prepare myself for all of the exciting new things that 2015 holds (and trust, me, they are going to be VERY exciting!).

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to you all. If there's anything in particular you would like to see on KaBOOM! Cosmetics next year, please let me know. I'm going to leave you with some of my favourite photos from the blog this year.

Dani xo









Sunday 14 December 2014

Random Beauty Favourites

It's been a while since I did a decent beauty favourites post so I thought I'd break the drought with a Random Beauty Favourites video. You can check out the video here.


Thursday 11 December 2014

Eau de Gaga

You will have to bear with me for my first ever perfume review because I have trouble describing things like perfumes and wines, it’s a real problem! Conversations with me about wines usually go something like this:

Monday 8 December 2014

Top 5 Summer Essentials: Blog Swap

Today is your lucky day folks because the lovely Angie from the maquillage has taken over KaBOOM! Cosmetics to let you in on her Top 5 Products for Summer! If you head over to the maquillage, you can find out what my Top 5 products are too. Now over to Angie:

Yep, Summer has officially arrived, and with my favourite season comes long sunny afternoons, Christmas and New Year fun, and a whole lot of attempting to stay cool when the temps really get cranking. Beauty-wise, it’s a time when I embrace a fuss free, fresh faced look, favouring multitasking products to ensure the least amount of makeup possible is on my face – all the less to sweat off! Let’s get into my Top 5 Summer Essentials…


Friday 5 December 2014

RANT! St Ives Green Tea Scrub

Today I got mad, so I filmed a rant video!...Well that's not technically true, I've been angry about this particular topic for a few months but have only just got around to filming a video about it.

A few months ago, St Ives changed the formula on the Holy Grail of all facial exfoliatiors, the Green Tea Scrub. I was devestated! It was the best exfoliator in the world and nothing else even came close. Click through to YouTube to hear all about it!

Thursday 4 December 2014

Rimmel Provocalips

You may have seen the blogosphere blowing up over Rimmel’s new Provocalips range recently. There was a LOT of effort put into the advertising campaign for this new range including Kiss Lists on Instagram with $100 ASOS vouchers up for grabs and send outs to every beauty blogger in existence (not that that’s a bad thing, I definitely am not complaining)! I had actually been wanting to try these out for a while after reading about them on Sophie’s blog (she’s based in the UK) and praying that they would make it to Australia. Well the definitely landed with a bang, here’s what I think of the new Provocalips range.

Sunday 30 November 2014

A LUSH Christmas


Image from lush.com.au
If you’re a regular KaBOOM! Cosmetics reader, you will know of the very strong feeling I have for LUSH. A quick recap for new readers: I love LUSH….like, a LOT! I always eagerly await the little e-mail in my inbox telling me that the Christmas realeases are out so I can shop to my heart’s content. This year, I got an extra little surprise when I was invited to attend the opening of the new Mt Gravatt store and pick out some complimentary Christmas goodies. Very unfortunately for me, I was away for work (as usual) and couldn’t make it but I did make a special effort to pop into LUSH and check out the limited edition Christmas releases. There are some fantastic new additions to the Christmas line this year and I wish my bank account could have stretched just a leeeetle further but here’s what I picked up this year.

Thursday 27 November 2014

DIY Lip Balm

Today’s post is something a little different, I’m branching out into DIY! A little while ago, I put up a pic on Instagram of my newly made DIY lip balms asking if anyone was interested. Quite a few people said yes so I thought I would share my super easy recipe to make your own lip balm. It’s quite, simple and easy to customise so you can put your own spin on your lip balm. I’ve been making this particular lip balm for a few months now and I love tweaking the recipe to make slightly different versions.

Sunday 23 November 2014

Glitter Lips

When I first heard about Glitterlips, I was a little hesitant to try them out. I mean I like glitter as much as the next person, actually probably quite a bit more than the next person but I was really unsure about the concept. I don’t think I’d had that much glitter on my face since the early 90s when I got a makeup kit consisting solely of stacks of neon glitter. Thankfully for me, Glitterlips are several steps up from the makeup kit of my childhood and I was blown away by their product.

Friday 21 November 2014

November Mail Haul

If y'all mosey on over to YouTube, you can check out my newest video. 
I posted a pic on Instagram yesterday of all the mail I had waiting to be opened and I got an overwhelming number of requests to see what was inside the packages. If you would like any more information/swatches/more detailed reviews of anything in this haul, please let me know!

Thursday 20 November 2014

The Nail Files: OPI + Coca Cola

When I heard that OPI was releasing a collaboration with Coca Cola, I was probably more excited than most normal people would be. When I thought of all the amazing colours and flavours across the Coca Cola range that OPI had to work with, I admit that I had to sit down for a little bit. When the actual collection came out, I may have actually squealed a little! The shades were just as fabulous as I’d hoped and I was lucky enough to be sent a couple of them to try. 

Sunday 16 November 2014

the Balm: How 'Bout Them Apples?

Apples are one of my very favourite fruits and when the Balm released How ‘Bout Them Apples, I just couldn’t resist! This is actually the first product from the Balm that I’ve bought which is very strange because I’ve long admired their cute packaging and funny names. I remember the anxious wait for this palette to be delivered and then being almost too scared to touch it because it was so pretty! There isn’t anything worse than biting into an juicy, crisp apple and getting a mealy mouthful but with this palette, you don’t have to worry because every apple in it is delicious!

Newsflash!

About 6 months ago when I first started KaBOOM! Cosmetics, I had no idea how much of my life it would take up, in a good way of course! I've ended up meeting and working with some amazing people and I absolutely love the beauty blogging community. I've also re-discovered how much I adore writing and how much satisfaction I get out of it. A few months into launching KaBOOM! Cosmetics, I decided that I wanted to explore the world of beauty journalism, so I started searching for places where I could get a little more experience and work on my writing skills. Bear in mind that I have no professional journalistic experience at all, I work in the mining industry and any writing I do for work is mainly in the form of technical reporting. After a little searching, I found two online publications that were willing to take me on board and they are....

The Australia Times Beauty Magazine


Thursday 13 November 2014

Battle of the Lip Creams

Isn’t is funny how certain products burst onto the market and all of a sudden everyone is bringing out a version? At the moment, every brand seems to have some variety of lip cream out and it’s hard to know which are fabulous and which ones are fails. I’m not a huge fan of lip creams, I find them a lot messier than regular lipsticks (goddamn doe foot applicators!) but they do tend to have amazing pigmentation. I’ve picked a two lip creams from my collection to go head to head in an epic Battle of the Lip Creams!

Sunday 9 November 2014

Invisalign: Goodbye Vampire Teeth!

In case you missed the several hundred announcements from me via various social media platforms, I got Invisalign! I had been considering it for a while and when I found out that the amazing dentist who removed my terrifying mutated wisdom tooth (trust me, the less you know about that, the better) specialised in Invisalign, I knew I was in safe hands. Since it's now such a big part of my life, I thought I would do a few posts on what it's like to have Invisalign and try and answer any questions that you have.
Some Invisalign essentials

Thursday 6 November 2014

My MAC Lipstick Collection

It’s pretty hard to believe but at the beginning of the year, I didn’t own a single MAC lipstick and now I own 8! MAC are renowned for their lipsticks which come in a (wide) range of formulas and enough colours to make a rainbow jealous.  I am definitely a bright lipstick kind of gal and that’s certainly reflected in my MAC collection and I also find it hard to say no to a limited edition! 
The Lipsticks

MAC lipsticks aren’t cheap, they retail for $36 AUD each, but I’m still a sucker for them! I have three from the permanent range and five limited edition lipsticks, so I think I’m doing pretty well for myself. Here are my MAC babies.

Sunday 2 November 2014

Sample Saviour Spending Ban: Update

It’s finally November which means that my Sample Saviour Spending Ban is over (you can read my original post here)! It was a real struggle for me, as I’m used to buying makeup and skincare products a few times a week. I was also hampered by the fact that my work roster changed at the last minute, meaning that I was stuck out bush minus most of my samples for the last half of the month. That meant that I really only had 2 weeks where I was regularly using samples. Given that my sample using time was halved, I think I did a pretty good job!

Thursday 30 October 2014

New Makeup Brushes

Like most girls, I’m constantly building up my collection and searching for the perfect combination of brushes to perfect my makeup looks. Using a good makeup brush is like being softly kissed by a flock of heavenly makeup angels who make you look flawless at the same time. A bad makeup brush is like a small angry cat: does not like being bathed, sheds and may occasionally scratch you. I’ve had my share of the bad brushes over the years but here are some of my recent brush purchases that are much closer to the angel end of the spectrum.

Sunday 26 October 2014

Face/ (Mask) Off

The other night, I decided to take a relaxing bath and pop a face mask on. I opened up my bathroom drawer and was literally gobsmacked by the amount of face masks that I’ve managed to accumulate. I usually do a face mask two or three times a week (if I have time and am not living in my tent in the bush) but even so, I have a ridiculous amount of face masks. So I’ve decided to take you through some of the masks that I currently have on rotation in a post that I've named after a creepy/awesome movie.

Thursday 23 October 2014

I am a NARSissist!

No, no, not a narcissist but a NARSisisst, I love NARS! One of the very first high end products I ever bought was by NARS (it's featured in this post!) and my collection has been growing steadily since that purchase. Here are the current members of my NARS family.

Sunday 19 October 2014

Purity Made Simple by Philosophy

I feel like it’s been a while since I did a good old single skincare product review. I’ve been a bit all over the place with my skincare lately. When I’m working in the bush, I don’t have the time, space or inclination for a long involved skincare routine. It’s usually just cleanse, tone, moisturise and even that’s a struggle. Ever tried doing a skincare routine in a shower cubicle the size of a toilet stall? Not easy! But back to the topic at hand, today I’m reviewing the cult beauty hit, Purity.


Thursday 16 October 2014

Benefit Hoola


I have been having a short term love affair with Benefit! It started with a mini sample of High Beam and has ballooned out in a very short space of time to include… well pretty much everything that Benefit stocks! Now I wouldn’t say that I am a huge bronzer gal (give me a pretty blush any day) but I had been looking for a non-shimmery bronzer for contouring for an absolute AGE. Why must all bronzers be shimmery, why! I do not want to look like a sparkly coconut! My cousin Sarah from Beauty by Sarah xo actually put me onto it and I’m so glad I took her advice. I heart Hoola

Sunday 12 October 2014

Gerard Cosmetics

I’ve been going on and on about Gerard Cosmetics for weeks now, ever since I met the CEO (Jen) at IMATS and with good reason! I am pretty new to the brand but I’ve suddenly developed something bordering on obsession (thanks Kirsty from Lipstick Addict for introducing me!). Although I only currently own two Gerard Cosmetics products, I’m more than keen to get my hands on more because I’ve been so happy with the two that I have. So here’s the lowdown on Gerard Cosmetics.

Saturday 11 October 2014

VS Sassoon Curl Secret Tutorial

Today is a momentous day, it's my very first video tutorial (cue riotous applause)!


The VS Sassoon Curl Secret ($169.95 but it's on special from the Shaver Shop at the moment for $144.00) was one of my very best hair styling investments, as you get perfect curls every single time with minimal effort. If you're already a pro at curling using a straightener, I would give this a miss BUT if you struggle with creating curls or you just hate the effort that goes into them, then this is the heat styler for you! 

Thursday 9 October 2014

Just Eye-Browsing

Ladies like Cara Delevigne, Bambi and Lily Collins have brought back the brow in a big (bushy) way and I for one am celebrating. As someone blessed with more brow than I can usually handle, it’s a relief to be able to take a step back on brow maintenance and let them be free to march their merry way across my face. Well maybe I haven’t quite embraced my brows in their 10% natural state *cough* unibrow *cough* but over the years, I have accepted that I actually do have quite nice eyebrows! I’ve taken a step away from the tweezers and instead, I’ve stepped towards products that put the wow in my brows. Here are a few of my top picks:


Monday 6 October 2014

Sample Saviour Spending Ban

Are you a sample languishing in Dani's sample stores, just dying for a chance to be used? Well baby, it's your time to shine because the Sample Saviour is here!

I was recently on a little bit of a spring cleaning kick and came across all of the samples that I had secreted away over the last few months. I had such good intentions and I definitely meant to use them all up but as time went by, I just forgot about most of them. After unearthing quite a few sachets, deluxe samples and travel size packages, I have decided to lauch the Sample Saviour in an attempt to clear out my backlog of samples.

Sunday 5 October 2014

The Spring Switch-Up

Ah, spring has sprung! I love feeling the change in the air as we wave goodbye to winter and start dreaming of lazy days at the beach and sunshine, glorious sunshine. One of my favourite things about spring is spring cleaning, nothing beats the feeling of chucking out all your old things to make room for lovely new things. With that in mind, I have picked up a few new things to add to my general routine in honour of spring.


Thursday 2 October 2014

Taking Out the Trash - The Bumper Edition

I haven't done a Taking Out the Trash video for a while. I've been steadily accumulating trash over the last couple of months so this edition of TOTT is a bumper one! I was also in a very strange mood that day I filmed this aka just being my normal, weird self, so I hope you enjoy a little peek into my real personality!

Tuesday 30 September 2014

Obsession 2015

Just a very quick little update post. You may have noticed my flashy new blog button on the sidebar ---> to let you know that I'm attending Obsession 2015!


Sunday 28 September 2014

Shanghai Suzy Spring/Summer Collection

If you have access to any form of social media, then you should be overly familiar with this new collection by Shanghai Suzy because it’s been all over Instagram! I simply couldn’t resist bulking up my measly collection of Shanghai Suzy lipsticks with this new collection, the shades are right up my alley. When this new collection released, there was a special where you could buy the entire collection of eight Spring/Summer lipsticks for $65 which equates to about $8 a lipstick. Alternatively, you can buy them separately for $12.95 each. 

Friday 26 September 2014

IMATS Haul

In a very original move, I've filmed an IMATS Haul (note the heavy sarcasm here)! 


I spent about half the video discussing all the things I didn't like about IMATS before getting on to he actual products so it's quite a chatty (not to mention long-winded) video but I hope you like it regardless!

Thursday 18 September 2014

Winging It: A Guide to Eyeliner

There are many things with makeup that I cannot do, for example, I have never been able to apply false lashes without looking like a drag queen who got ready in the dark. However, I have been blessed with one beauty talent and that is being able to apply winged liner! That’s not to say that I don’t occasionally end up with the dreaded panda eyes BUT by and large, I end up with some pretty good flicks! So today, I’m going to share some of my knowledge of eyeliners, along with some tips and tricks that might be able to help you out. Once again, I’m not claiming to be an expert makeup artist (quite the opposite!) but if just one person finds my tips helpful then I’m happy!

Types of Eyeliner

There are three main types of eyeliner that you need to know about. They can be used to create slightly different looks and they all have their own positives and negatives.

1. Pencil – Pencil liner is probably the best type for beginners, because they’re easy to use and control. The downside is that you don’t get as precise a line as you would get with liquid or gel. You also have to keep them nice and sharp for the best line, unless you are going for a smudgy look. I like to use pencil liners for a more subtle daytime look OR for a smokey eye because they are the easiest to blend. They also come in a rainbow of colours and are probably the most easily accessible type of liner, as every cosmetic company makes them! Pencil liners are also great for the lower lash line, it’s not as messy and less likely to run/get into your eyes. Anyone who has ever gotten liquid liner in their eye can attest that it’s like the pain of a thousand burning suns…or maybe stepping on a lego.


My favourite pencil liners at the moment are the Klara H20 Proof Eyeliner in Black ($18.00) and the Models Prefer Kohl Pencil in Matte Black ($8.99). The Klara one also includes a smudger for creating smokey looks.

The Klara H2O Proof Liner is more like a traditional pencil and the Models Prefer Kohl Pencil has a creamier texture

2. Liquid – Liquid liners can be very intimidating and most people find them hard to master. Once you do manage to master them, you can create very dramatic looks with a super crisp line. They do require a steady hand as most are quick dry and trying to repair a mistake with liquid liner can be a pain in the butt! Thankfully, there are a few types of liquid liner, like the Maybelline Master Precise, with a handy felt tip (just like a marker pen) to help with control. I recommend a lot of practice with pencil liner before moving on up to liquid. I’ve also assembled some handy hints a bit further down for when you feel brave enough to tussle with liquid liner!


My top recommendations for liquid liners are the Face of Australia Liquid Liner in Black ($8.95), Boe Beauty Liquid Liner in Black ($2.00) and Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner in Black ($13.95), which is especially good for beginners.

Swatches (L-R) Face of Australia Liquid Liner, Maybelline Master Precise and Boe Beauty Liquid Liner
3. Gel – I do love a good gel liner! They usually come in a little pot and have to be applied with an angled or fine tipped brush. Like liquid liners, you do need a steady hand BUT they do dry a bit slower which makes it a bit easier to fix up boo-boos AND makes gel liner great for creating smokey looks too. I love how easily gel liners glide on (good ones anyway!) and I love the overall effect they create. They aren’t quite as convenient as a pencil liner, given you have to have the pot with its screw on lid AND the correct brush/brushes to create your look but they are my personal preference. Benefit have also recently come out with their new Push-Up Gel Liner which is a gel liner in a pen form, making it much easier to use. You can check out my full review here.


My very favourite gel liner is the Maybelline EyeStudio Lasting Drama Gel Pot Liner in Blackest Black ($16.95). It has a super creamy formula that just glides on and doesn’t dry out in the pot, which is a problem I’ve found with a lot of gel liners. Benefit’s They’re Real Push-Up Gel Liner ($35.00) is also a new favourite, although a lot of people seem to hate it, I’m a definite fan.
Swatches of the Push Up Liner (L) and Maybelline EyeStudio Gel Liner (R)
Handy Tips

1. Do the flicks first, as there is a much better chance of getting them to look even!

2. Don’t try and draw the whole line on at once. After drawing on your flicks, start from the inner corner of your eye and work outwards in small lines.

3. Continue with small, fine lines until you reach the outer corner. It’s much easier to have a fine, well drawn line that you can thicken up afterwards than starting with a thick line and trying to rub it off.

4. Join up the line across your eyelid and the flick. Again, use thin strokes and build up to your desired “flicky-ness”.

5. Voila! Perfect wing!


Always make sure you do your eyeliner in a well-lit area where you can get nice and close to the mirror. Nothing worse than heading out for the night and then realising when you head to the bathroom that you have, in fact, created a look worthy of a drag queen (nothing against, drag queens, I think they are fabulous but they do have a very dramatic look!). Also, keep some cotton buds soaked in makeup remover handy in case you make a mistake. It’s very easy to just clean up little mistakes as you go.

If you’ve finished reading this, you should be an absolute pro with all types of liners, right? Ok well, maybe a bit more practice is required, but I would love to see some pictures of all of your fabulous flicks and lovely liner looks. Do you have any extra tips for working with eyeliner?

Stay beautiful!

Dani xx
 

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