Adventuring into Vlogging! | Dinosaur Soiree

The Video

So this was always going to be the next natural progression in my beauty world. I actually started the blog with the intention of eventually starting YouTube, and even though I still don't feel ready, I'm jumping in!

It's a scary thing to do, putting yourself out there, even though I don't plan on going anywhere in particular with this. Honestly the most real reason I'm doing this is because I want to share my passion with other makeup obsessed people (seriously, I need makeup rehab!) and I've been encouraged to make videos for a while now.

I've wanted to do this for about two years and instead of deleting every video because 'I'm such a derp' I decided to just go with it and give it a try. Like my blogging habits (sorry) this may end up going down the drain, but at least I can say I've tried.

Ps: The red text is a link to the video :)

Makeup Is A Dinosaurs Best Friend | Dinosaur Soiree

So I suppose I should start this by saying happy 2014! Bit late to the party yes, but I can often be like that...

So during my holidays I had a lot of free time to shamelessly spend a lot of money as I indulged in a few things. Firstly I picked up some much needed skin care products. When I walked into Priceline I was so thrilled to find Bioderma there I nearly wet myself!... Okay maybe not, but this product has been so hyped in the beauty world that I was dying to get my hands on it. This is a cleanser from the french skincare brand that removes both dirt and makeup. I like to use this after my Burt's Bees cleanser to remove any excess, and it's great for removing eye makeup. The thing I like most about this, is the fact that it is so gentle, it honestly feels exactly like water, just pop it on a cotton pad and you're good to go!

Also from Priceline I got a purifying mask from Sukin. This was my first product from the brand so I wasn't expecting anything spectacular, but I love this mask! It has Kaolin clay in it and dries after about 15 minutes on the skin. After using this my skin feels so soft and clean, and the brand uses only natural ingredients from Australia! The only thing I didn't love about this was the removal process - it did sort of feel like you had to scrub mud off your face, but in my opinion it is worth it for all the other benefits.

Finally from Priceline I got my very first Essie nail polish in the colour Fiji. I am slowly starting to realize that no matter how good the brand is light coloured nail polish is always going to come across as streaky, and I'll always need 3-4 coats of colour to make it look any good. Despite this I do really like the colour, it's a light baby pink. But before I give any thoughts on Essie nail polish I will have to get some darker colours too.

From Lush I picked up the Enchanted eye cream which claims to be both day and night appropriate. It has a very thin formula, and reminds me more of a lotion type consistency rather than a cream. I can feel after it sinks in for a few minutes that it has a slight tightening effect, and I can tell when I use it that I look more awake. However I don't see any really huge changes to my dark circles or puffiness. I do still like the fact that I can read and understand every ingredient Lush puts in their products, so I shall have to review this product again when I have finished.

The next product was a sample of the Toni & Guy dry shampoo I received from a gift bag. This I was not extremely happy with. I felt it was a lot like a hairspray, and instead of soaking up the excess oil from my head it just made my hair all crispy and added a lot of volume (which my hair certainly does not need!) I much prefer using my Batiste dry shampoo, it works better and smells fabulous.

The next product was also a gift. The Avon jumbo lip pencil in 'Mauve Elegance' was from my mum who accidentally ordered two. From the packaging I would've stayed away, as it definitely looked like a more mature colour, something very different to the vibrant lippies I often wear. But I was pleasantly surprised by this. It's like a dark nudey colour, and actually looks quite nice on the lips. It's nice to wear on those lazy days, or days when you don't know what to wear.

Next we have a repurchase of one of my favourite mascaras. I fist bought the Maybelline Illegal Length mascara when I was obsessed with getting longer looking lashes (even though my natural lashes are quite long). This mascara contains fibre extensions to add length, but be careful how you apply this one. If you wiggle the brush you will get clumps galore! So make sure you just go straight up, no wiggling or rolling. I had run out of my Falsies and thought I would go back to this one, however I have come to realize I don't need any extra length, so after this one is gone I will try a new volumizing mascara, rather than lengthening.

When I saw the NYX brand of makeup in Target I considered buying absolutely everything! Of course the jumbo eye pencil in Milk was gone, but for some reason I was drawn to the blushes. Once I swatched them and saw how incredibly pigmented they were I just had to get some. I picked up the Cream Blush in Rose Petal and the Powder Blush in Pinched. Since buying these I am craving more! For the price that they are, these are wonderful products.

And finally, the Piéce de résistance, MAC Eyeshadows in Naked Lunch and Satin Taupe. I have been waiting to finally start constructing my MAC palette for so long, and these babies are the first two to go in! At AUD$33 an eyeshadow, I have to pick carefully, I can't afford to purchase anything I don't love. But luckily I do love these shadows, they are very pigmented and easy to blend, and I have been using them non stop!

Do you have any recent purchases you just can't get enough of? Let me know!

The Greatest Lipstick Ever?? | Dinosaur Soiree

So being the ridiculously pale human being that I am, I was never really excited about lipsticks. Every single colour (even the so called 'nude' shades) was a statement and stood out like a flashing sign against my skin, which meant I wasn't able to wear lipstick everyday...

Until now...

This shade (Lime Crime's 'Geradium') is the perfect pink for me. From what I've seen in photos it looks slightly different on everyone (how does it do that?!) and for me it comes across as a medium pink. Do not be deceived by what it looks like in the bullet, cause when I first swatched this on my hand I was properly disappointed. It was fluorescent, just like every other lipstick on me. Even after I bought it and brought it home and tried it on my lips, at first it was still a bright fluro pink.

But after wearing it for a couple of hours it melted into my lips instead of just sitting on top and I fell in love. Lime Crime's lipsticks are always gorgeous, but they definitely got something right with this one. Not a day has gone passed where I've worn this lipstick and not received a compliment! Definitely worth every penny.

Texture: Smooth and creamy, sits on the lips at first but sinks in within a couple of hours.
Colour: Perfect medium pink, extremely opaque (like all of Lime Crime's lippies!)
Staying power: this lipstick is definitely the best for staying power in terms of  'normal' lipsticks (doesn't claim to have a 'special' formula or isn't marketed as a long-staying lipstick)
Price: Reasonable, less than MAC but more than drugstore ($23 AUD)

You can buy Lime Crime's Geradium here, or if you live in AUS here and here

Twiggy Inspired | Dinosaur Soiree

Ever since I've gotten my hair chopped off I've been wanting to attempt makeup similar to twiggy's (and if I'm honest, a bit of my hairspiration came from her) so this is my attempt! It definitely looks better on camera, an I think I still need to practice this, but I think for my first attempt it turned out okay. If there are any other celebrity looks you'd like me to try message me on my facebook!

PS: This is mostly photos to make up for the lack of photos in my previous post!

Subtle Spring Colours | Dinosaur Soiree

Winter has come and gone and spring has finally arrived! (although it feels more like we went straight to summer) which means it's time for colour! But I feel like often people don't know how to incorporate colour into their makeup without looking like a clown (at least I didn't!) So I'm hoping this post will help you to include a little more colour into your spring makeup!

I don't know why, but when I go eyeshadow shopping, I'm ALWAYS dawn to the brightly coloured blues and greens, despite the fact that I'll probably never use them. There's just something about looking at bright colours and wanting to transform myself into a rainbow that I find very appealing!

So instead of throwing away lots of vivid eyeshadow colours, I have worked out a way to wear them and NOT look like a clown (phew!) The key is to be subtle, use your colour as an eyeliner or a highlight (as I did) or as a feature eyeshadow with lots of neutrals around it. If you're going to use colour, just stick to one or two colours and keep the rest neutral and you're all set! I paired my eye look with my Lime Crime lipstick in 'Geradium' which is my new favourite lipstick ever, especially for spring. If you stick to these guidelines you can wear colour everyday if you wish!










ps: you could also go completely crazy with colour of course, this was just for an everyday look!

Oops I Went Shopping... | Dinosaur Soiree

So I realize that for around 2 or 3 weeks my latest post has been pictures of me pretending to be an owl... but I got really busy and just didn't have time to blog (not trying to come up with excuses, just explaining myself). But blogging makes me really super happy so I'm going to try and get my act together!

Anyway, last weekend I spent in Melbourne and it's safe to say my bank account got a fair beating! But I hadn't shopped in aaaaaaages and let's face it, we all love pretty things! From Dotti I found these uniquely patterned pants (top left) and a beautiful soft bowler hat (not pictured) for a total of $70 (AUD). I was determined to get some more pants and bottom half clothing as I pretty much just wear my jeans everday. These pants are a little less casual than jeans but they are SUPER comfortable. I recently wore them to a party and was able to stay warm and decent looking! (something I struggle with). The hat was just kind of an impulse buy, but I thought it would be good for hot picnic days or something.

The beautiful cherry red shoes (center) were from Target, but not just any Target. This was called 'Urban Target' and was just like the normal Target, but 10X better! Most of the clothes were centered around young adults, and there were some truly beautiful clothes. These shoes cost me $40 (AUD) and match my pants from Dotti perfectly (and I didn't even plan that!) The skirt (top middle) and beautiful embroided shorts (top right) were from the DFO in South Wharf. I had never been to a DFO before, and that was probably a good thing. I could have easily spent hundreds there, but I managed some self control somehow. The skirt was just plain black and high-waisted (I also got an identical one in navy blue) and the shorts were from the Dotti outlet.

If you ever go to Melbourne to go shopping, Chapel Street is where to go! I walked into Forever New and hit the danger zone. Everything in that shop is so amazing, you could close your eyes, be spun around 10 times and pick something at random and it would look beautiful. I picked up this denim lace top and lacey white shorts for around $120 (AUD pricey I know, but so worth it!) I didn't think I would suit the shorts much with my ghostly complexion, but they actually suit me well!

Topshop has made a splash on Australian shores! Complete with DJs, I actually find this shop to be a bit of a hit and miss, but I simply could not pass up these frilly cream socks. I have been looking for socks like these for simply ages, but it turns out unless you're five years old finding frilly socks can be a bit tricky.

Last but certainly not least, I could not miss buying some makeup. I was desperate to start creating a MAC eyeshadow palette, but the one place in Melbourne that sold the palette and the shadow refills was sold out! (just my luck) but I settled for the 'Mineralised Skin Finish' in 'Soft and Gentle'. Being as pale as I am in retrospect I should have probably gotten the shade 'Lightscapade' instead, but I'll make it work! I don't normally wear highlighters on an everyday basis though so this should be interesting... hopefully I don't end up looking like a disco ball exploded on my face!I was out of black pencil eyeliner and because I was so impressed with my navy coloured one from Topshop I decided to try the black and I was not unimpressed. It is so dark, and extremely blendable, which means loads of smokey eye goodness!

Finally, I have been dying to get my hands on Lime Crime's lippies for soooooooo long. I have their Velvetine in 'Red Velvet' and simply love it, and especially since they have recently been coming out with more wearable shades, I had to get 'Geradium', an intensely bright pink. I did panic for a second already thinking I had a shade very similar, but after wearing it a few times I am convinced I don't and probably never will have a shade anything like it! (If you would like a review of this lipstick let me know!) I purchased this from Hub Make Up.

So that was my trip to Melbourne in which I spent a lot of money in a short amount of time. I apologize for the lack of posts recently (and also the state of the photos above, I was short on editing time!) I promise I'll try to get my act together. Did anything catch your eye? What have you bought recently that you love?

A Hoot of a Time | Dinosaur Soiree

The thing I love most about makeup, is how it can completely transform your face. I've always been interested in fancy dress/theme/special effects makeup, and would absolutely to experiment a bit more with my makeup. My ultimate dream would be able to work on something like 'The Hobbit' or 'Doctor Who' and be able to fully transform someone into a character. I realize I'm definitely a long way from that, I doubt I'd ever get to do something like that. So for now, I'll settle for turning my face into an owl.

I did this look for a fancy dress birthday party under the theme 'Party Animals'. My costume didn't add anything to my character, it was literally just a dress (I do the makeup part, not the costume) I remember being called a moth at some stage, but I like to think it looks at least a little bit owly!

It was actually very simple and easy, and because of the various 'feather' strokes (I used different coloured eyeshadows and eyeliners) I was able to make it a bit messy and uneven, and that just added to the look (I love when mess can look good!) The feathers were stuck on with eyelash glue, and let me warn you, I would not do that again (I think I ended up ripping some skin off!) The 'beak' was just simple black eyeliner and I used fake eyelashes just so the white eyeshadow wouldn't look too overpowering.

So if you ever fancy being an owl have a go at this and post your picture on my Facebook fan page! What do you guys think? Would you want to see some more character type makeup? Let me know!

Off with her Hair! | Dinosaur Soiree

I've wanted a pixie cut for the longest time ever, but always put it on delay. The problem I have with my hair is when I had it short (I had a 'bob' haircut previously) I wanted to curl it and style it, but it was too short. But when it's long it's way too thick and unmanageable, so I just dry it and leave it be (oh the woes of thick, course hair!) I danced for 10 years and during that time short hair was kind of secretly banned, or at the very least hard to work with. So after about 4 years of wanting short hair I decided to cut it all off!

I didn't really think too much about what I was actually doing until my hairdresser was about halfway through my head.  It suddenly dawned on me. All my hair was going to be gone! At this stage I had a mini internal breakdown but that wore off after a few minutes. When my hairdresser finished my hair I was a little indifferent. I was a little worried that I looked like a boy, and I thought I would have to pile on the makeup and wear dresses everyday just so people would realize I was actually a girl (I can think very irrationally at times!)

It has since been a good few weeks since I've gotten it cut and I can safely say that I looooooove it! One of the best decisions I've ever made, and I'm proud of myself for going through with it. One of the best things about having short hair is the money I save on shampoo! I need the smallest amount to do my whole head and I actually find myself styling it more than I ever have before. I can load up the product to make it look crazy or tame it down a bit, the cut is a lot more versatile than I thought it would be.

What are your thoughts? Would you ever consider short hair?

Purple Smoke | Dinosaur Soiree

So I'm not much of a clubbing person, in fact I've never been to a club in my life. But I love smokey eyes, so I thought I would have a crack at it even though I just stayed in my house all day (I live a thrilling life!) I like to think of this as a wearable coloured smokey eye, as I always find black too harsh. Ever since learning about complementary and contrasting colours in art, it made sense that this could be applied to my makeup as well. However the contrasting colours of blue (the colour of my eyes) are pink and orange, and I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not brave enough to rock bold colours like that on a day-to-day basis. 

The good thing about a colourful smokey eye however, is that you can still play around with different colours and it won't look like a clown threw up on your face! I used a dark browny colour to smoke out the pink and lined my eyes with black eyeshadow (using eyeshadow as eyeliner adds to the smokiness of the look) and then used pretty much the entirety of my mascara tube all over my lashes (I would recommend using false lashes if you can apply them).

Once again all the eyeshadows I used came from my much loved 'Naked 2 Palette' with a 'Maybelline Color Tattoo' underneath as a base. Before I started my blog I didn't even use the Urban Decay palette that much, but now that I have forced myself to use it more (I hate starting eyeshadows and making dents in them, call me crazy!) I am fearless in my shadow selection.

When I finished and looked at myself in the mirror, it was clear that this is definitely a full on look, and it certainly made my bluey/grey eyes stand out. If you have a go at this look tweet me a pic! (@DinosaurSoiree)

PS: I'd like to have a go at some more concept/fancy dress/costume makeup, plus maybe some costumes, is that something you'd like to see? Let me know!

Hourglass Opaque Rouge Liquid Lipsticks | Dinosaur Soiree

This product has been vehemently praised by the beauty bloggisphere recently, so to see what all the hype was about I took a trip to Mecca Cosmetica and swatched all the shades on my hand. After much deliberation (it literally took me two hours!) I finally decided on 'Muse', a coral pinky red colour.

Application
The Liquid Lipsticks come with a doefoot sponge applicator which makes application as easy as if you were applying lipgloss. I would definitely recommend exfoliating your lips before application and wearing no lipbalm underneath as it can make the lipstick go patchy and cling to spots.

Formula/Wear
The texture is very creamy and not drying if you look after your lips properly, however I do feel that people that are prone to dry lips should maybe consider another option. I found myself comparing the formula to the 'Lime Crime Velvetines' a lot as they are very similar products. In terms of wear time, they claim to last a massive 14 hours, and although I think they are very long lasting, I think 14 hours may be pushing it. With that being said it lasted all day on me and did not transfer when I ate and drank.

Value for Money
Whilst these lipsticks have been raved about by everyone and their cat, I feel that this is where they fall short. They are definitely a luxurious buy at $42 (AUD) each, for only 3g of product! I find them to be very similar to my 'Velvetine', which is much cheaper at $16.99 (USD) with the same amount of product. With that being said the colour selection for the hourglass lipsticks is much larger.

Overall Opinion
These lipsticks are very luxurious and have the price tag to match, but in my opinion they are worth it to some extent. It is definitely the longest wearing lipstick I own, however for the price I would expect it to be a little less drying.

Have you tried the Hourglass Liquid Lipsticks? What were your thoughts?