Marie Claire & James St Up Late Event

Have you heard that Australia’s No.1 fashion magazine Marie Claire released their 200^th edition issue this month? That is a milestone that deserves a mention and celebration in the form of a street party!!

This Thursday the 29^th of March will see the Marie Claire & James Street Up Late event in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Maire Claire Editor Jackie Frank and her lifestyle and fashion crew will also be present alongside fashion designers Heidi Middleton (Sass & Bide), Easton Pearson’s Pamela Easton and Lydia Pearson (Easton Pearson), Camilla Franks (Camilla), Bec Manning (Rebecca Manning) and the boys from KSUBI, just to name a few! There will be a exciting in-store offers, bubbles and nibbles to swift your feet through the ultimate street party!!

Are you going to attend the UP LATE Event this Thursday?

xx Rose 

Shiseido GWP at David Jones

Shiseido at David Jones currently has an amazing GWP offer! If you love fashion designer AKIRA, you will definitely want to read on about this exclusive offer! 

Enjoy shopping!

xx Rose

Sisley GWP at David Jones

I thought I should share with you this fab offer from Sisley at David Jones. Sisley is currently having a fabulous GWP which is available until stocks last.

Enjoy shopping!

xx Rose

March Glossybox

I received my March Glossybox the other day and this month's theme is all about getting active to help both the body and mind stay beautiful. I received five beauty samples ranging from skincare to body care and to hair care with an additional bonus power balance bracelet in hot pink. I don't actually believe power bracelets help to give you balance, but I though it was nice to get a sporty accessory with the Glossybox logo imprinted on the side. 

Unlike previous boxes, I received a larger than usual card with a message from the Glossybox team and a list of all the samples distributed this month. The list included 18 beauty products with their description, however, the quantity and RRP values were not shown. I much preferred receiving their usual cards which contained detailed information on the five samples provided in the box. 

The five samples I received from the list include the following:

Eau Thermale Avene Gentle Milk Cleanser, sample size 50ml worth A$7.50

(full size 200ml A$29.95)

Eau Thermale Avene Gentle Toner, sample size 50ml worth A$7.50

(full size, 200ml A$29.95)

Klorane Extra-gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk, travel size 50ml A$8.95
(full size 150ml A$16.95)

The Body Shop Chocomania Body Butter, sample satchet 8ml worth A$1.20

(full size 200ml A$29.95)

Thin Lizzy Concealer Cream in Oriental Doll, sample size 7.5ml worth ~A$14 (full size 15ml A$27.95)

March Glossybox worth ~A$39

The Avene skincare products  are great for sensitive skin, so I'm quite keen to test how these products go. I was excited to see a travel sized Klorane dry shampoo in my box as the first and last dry shampoo I have used was Bastiste dry shampoo in Blush. The Body Shop body butters are absolutely divine and rich and my favourite is the Sesame Seed one for very dry skin. Unfortunately, they discontinued this product years ago and I have since sadly stepped away from their line. Well, that is until now! The Body Shop has released a brand new body butter scent in Chocomania (great timing for Easter)! Sounds delicious! Last but not least, I received the Thin Lizzy Concealer Cream which looks like a full sized product, but it's actually half the full size. 

All in all, there was a little bit of excitement from me after revealing the products in the March box. I am most excited about the Klorane dry shampoo and Avene skincare products, so hopefully these will work well with me.

What did you receive in your March Glossybox? Were you happy with the contents you received?

xx Rose

March Bellabox: Get Naked with Bellabox!

This month Bellabox has decided to follow a very unique approach compared to all the subscription beauty boxes out there! Upon receiving the usual Tiffany blue parcel from the post office, to my surprise I received a signature Bellabox calico drawstring bag instead of the usual cardboard box! I love this new idea as I have accumulated so many Bellabox boxes (which have been used to house gifts for relatives and friends and on top of that I also have a number of boxes to use as storage for my beauty products) and I'm starting to run out of ideas for recycling these boxes. 

The Bellabox calico drawstring bag would be very handy to store small items such as hair accessories, stationery, satchets of Lipton tea and especially useful to store beauty products for travel :)

The theme of the March Bellabox is 'Get Naked with Bellabox!'. The idea of this theme is all about letting your true self shine through! When I looked inside on Bellabox calico bag there were a few interesting products plus a Carman's museli snack as a treat!

March Bellabox

The contents in the March Bellabox:

Yes to Carrots Lip Tint in Cotton Candy (full size 2.6g A$9.95)

Pure Fiji Hydrating Body Lotion-Coconut, sample size ~20ml (full size 354ml A$29.95)

U Little Beauty Natural Repair Hair Serum (full size 100ml A$19.99)

Planet Eve Daily Face Moisturiser, sample size 10ml worth $11.80 (full size 50ml A$59.00) 
Bellamer Eye Balm, sample pot ~5g (full size 15g A$40)

March Bellabox Total worth ~A$50

My March Bellabox arived with a very nice change from box to calico bag and the selection of beauty samples were skincare and hair care.  I was hoping for a cosmetic product, however, I think it is nice to receive a hair care product this month as last month did not see any hair care products. 

Yes to Carrots Lip Tint in Cotton Candy is 95% organic and is a nice touch to add in this month's subscription as I have heard of the brand but never really got the chance to use any of their products. The lip tint is very tiny, actually it is the smallest lip balm stick I have ever used! The tint in Cotton Candy did not leave any tint on my lips, instead it leaves a subtle shimmery finish on my lips. It smells very much like vanilin and my lips always feel temporarily tingly after application. There are a couple of things that disappointed me and that is the fact that the tint has no SPF and you can ONLY wind the Lip Tint UP. I found this really strange as if you accidentally wind up too much product (like I did) you will have to squish the lid over the product. Not a nice sight!

Pure Fiji is a new brand addition to Bellabox and their Hydrating Body Lotion in Coconut smells absolutely divine! I love drinking coconut juice and to have a coconut scented body lotion is such a great idea! The body lotion is lightweight with a thin consistency and it absorbs very quickly into the skin. My skin feels very hydrated and well moisturised leaving my skin looking soft, smooth and supple! The yummy scent just makes it good enough to eat!

U Little Beauty is an Australian Natural Skincare brand and their products are formulated using Certified Organic and Natural ingredients. The hair serum is an interesting one and I was very excited to try this product! I am a regular user of hair serums so it'd be great to see how this product compares. This hair serum contains luxurious ingredients such as Macadamia and Argan Oil to smooth and nourish the hair. The serum is an opaque white formula which is very easy to distribute along the ends of my hair. My hair does feel soft and nourished, however, it didn't provide a natural shine to my hair like other hair oils and serums that I have used do. The formula is relatively thin and mild and I think this serum would be suited for people with thin hair rather thick hair, which describes my hair type.

Planet Eve Organics products are Australian Certified Organic and this is a new brand that I've been exposed to. I received the Daily Face Moisturiser and it sounds like a great product to try. I've noticed in the blogger-sphere that samples of the Facial Balancing Toner and Facial Cleansing Oil have been received in place of this Daily Face Moisturiser. 

The moisturiser is labelled as an anti-aging skincare product and I'm not exactly sure why I received this as my beauty profile does not suggest I am interested in anti-aging products. The moisturiser is antioxidant and vitamin rich and aims to target fine lines, age spots and dry skin. My skin does not have any of these concerns, however, I guess the core ingredients of acai, rosehip, camellia seed oil and european beech sound too good to pass up anyway!  

The moisturiser glides on smooth and leaves a nice matte finish. The scent of this moisturiser is quite odd and it wasn't pleasant for my likeing. I expected the scent to linger away after application, however, I could still sense it after a few minutes of the moisturiser absoring through my skin. This mosituriser is unfortunately not for me due to the scent.

Bellamer Botanical Skin Care another brand I am new to. The brand is a boutique skincare company based in Melbourne and was developed by Sandy Mason during an attempt to find relief for dry, sensitive skin and eczema. 

Bellamer Eye Treatment Balm is a VERY rich and hydrating balm which helps to relax, soothe and nourish dry and sensitive eyes. The balm is enriched with natural ingredients including Shea Butter and Chamomile and Peppermint essential oils. The great thing about balm-like products is that it would probably last ages! 

The balm is very very moisturising- I really can't emphasise the very good moisturising properties of this balm!  The balm applies on smooth and partially sinks through the skin. The eye balm does take some time to absorb through, however, it is suggested to dab off any excess. My only concern is that it leaves a shiny trail to my skin and so it wouldn't be suitable to apply AM. I prefer to use this at night time. 

My eyes are in a relatively good state at the moment and I would only use this product when my eyes are lacking hydration. I think this balm is an excellent product for people with very dry skin and/or eczema.

Overall, it was great to see Australian natural and organic based products in the March Bellabox bag. There was a great variety of samples and great sample sizes included to let my inner self shine through: two full size products (lip tint and hair serum) and three deluxe sized samples (body lotion, eye balm and moisturiser). Although the majority of products received in the March Bellabox were not the best I have tried of their kind, there is always next month's Bellabox to look forward to :) 

What did you receive in your March Bellabox calico drawstring bag? 

xx Rose

Estee Lauder GWP Online

If you haven't heard already, Estee Lauder's online store is currently having a pretty good GWP offer when you enter the code: VIP at checkout.

The offers that come with this code includes the following:

No minimum spend to qualify for the GWP

GWP includes a Take it Away Makeup Remover, Idealist Pore Refining Serum, Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Cream, Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara, Double Wear Stay-in-Place Eye Pencil, Pure Color Lipstick in Pink Parfait, eye shadow quad compact and a cosmetic bag 

Free sample (choose between a lash primer, anti-aging moisturiser and day cream)

 Free shipping

Your GWP and free sample with your order will be shown just before you finalise checkout. You will also see an icon which shows you the contents of the GWP.

This offer is just too good to miss! Be quick as the offer is available for a limited time only!

Are you going to take up this amazing Estee Lauder bonus? Which product/s will you be ording?

xx Rose

Review: MeMeMe Shimmer Stack

I love multi-tasking cosmetic products as this makes travelling so much easier when you want to travel light and need to avoid bringing one item of each beauty product. An example of a great multi-tasking product are highlighters and illuminators. They are available in a wide range of tones and shimmers and recently I have been using MeMeMe Cosmetics Shimmer Stack in Gold.

MeMeMe Shimmer Stack in Gold is an illuminator which provides definition for the cheeks, brows and eyes. The packaging itself is a large sturdy square compact with a large in-built mirror. I love compacts with a huge  in-built mirror as I wouldn't need to bring an additional compact mirror on board a flight. The compact is quite large that it fits nicely in the palm of my hand.

There are five shimmery shades in this Shimmer Stack and these include a light pale gold, champagne gold, copper gold, taupe grey and an intense antique gold tone. Each shades works well individually as an eye shadow. As an eye shadow, the shimmer applies on smooth and sheer, however, the intensity is buildable. 

The fusion of all five shades applied to the cheeks provides a lovely shimmery satin sheen to illuminate cheeks giving a luminous and glowy finish. The results of the Shimmer Stack in Gold reflects a light gold shimmer to the cheeks. The shimmer is very fine and not at all gritty or overly shimmer once applied. The best way to apply is to lightly dust onto areas where the sunlight would hit, such as apples of the cheeks, the point of the nose and forehead. I always follow the rule of thumb: 'less is best' and that's the way to go with this Shimmer Stack.  
 

MeMeMe Cosmetics Shimmer Stack is available in three shades: Bronze, Pink and Gold and retails for A$24.95 online at www.mememecosmetics.com.au.

Which multi-tasking products do you love to use best? What do you think of MeMeMe Cosmetics Shimmer Stack?

xx Rose

Product was provided for consideration only. This review is 100% based on my own thoughts and opinions. I am not affiliated with MeMeMe Cosmetics and did not receive remuneration to post this product review.

Review: MeMeMe Long Wear Satin Lip Cream

Ever since I have used MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base that I reviewed here, I am a little more familiar with glamourous vintage-look cosmetic range by MeMeMe.

One of MeMeMe Cosmetics newest product launch is the Long Wear Satin Lip Cream lipsticks! It sounds divine and very luxe, doesn't it?! There are ten shades in the range and each shade represents a Greek Goddess. I have the shade China Rose which represents Eva. On the side of the cardboard box the lipstick is packaged in there is a little description that describes Eva:

'The Innocent and angelic Eva, the embodiment of life, danced across the land with the grace of an angel'

China Rose is a lovely rich neutral pink shade with a creamy soft shine. The intensity of the shade makes this lip colour perfect as an everyday shade and it is also suitable for all skin tones. The consistency is very creamy and soft as the formula is enriched with shea butter and vitamin E. After taking photos of this lipstick I swatched it on my hand and the lipstick partially broke as I applied it on my hand. I was a little devasted and realised that the warm atmosphere here in Brisbane may have contributed to the formula being so soft. From there on, the best way for me to use this creamy lip colour is to use a lip brush and store it in the fridge.

The formula is very creamy and glides on smooth! I have noticed that the lips need to be conditioned with lip balm before application to ensure a smooth finish. It feels very confortable on and adds a rich pink satin sheen. The results of wearing China Rose is fabulous as the formula does not dry the lips but instead keeps my lips hydrated and nourished due to the presence of shea butter and vitamin E within the formula. The formula lasts remarkably well with just a touch-up midday after lunch and that's all for my lips to look good during my work-day.

MeMeMe Long Wear Satin Lip Cream retails for A$23.95 and is available online at www.mememecosmetics.com.au. Currently, if you sign up to their newsletter online you will be honoured a 20% discount off your next purchase.

Have you tried cream-based lipsticks before? 

xx Rose

Product was provided for consideration only. This review is 100% based on my own thoughts and opinions. I am not affiliated with MeMeMe Cosmetics and did not receive remuneration to post this product review.

ELES Cosmetics Mineral Blush and Mineral Sheer Tint

The cosmetics industry is growing fast and in the past couple of weeks I have come across a number of cosmetics brands (e.g. ELES Cosmetics and Pevonia just to name a few!) which I have discovered and love! Within the next few weeks, keep an eye out for the exciting new brands that will be in the spotlight of The Beauty of Red Roses blog!

Today I will be introducing ELES Cosmetics, a brand which I am so thankful to have been introduced to as I have discovered a couple of products from their line that has made me so impressed! ELES Cosmetics is an Australian mineral makeup brand created by Liane Scior- renowned aesthetician, make-up artist, business woman, educator and co-founder and director of elite spa and skincare brand, Pevonia Botanica Australia and Asia Pacific. She is indeed talented and widely knowledgeable in the cosmetics industry!

Liane Scior- ‘I created ELES Mineral Makeup because I’d searched in vain for right makeup line to enhance the great results of Pevonia skin care but I couldn’t find it. Don’t get me wrong, there are many great products out there but nothing that met the criteria I’d set which was pretty demanding.’

Liane Scior’s criteria included products that would be easy to use, products with invoke quality and great colour intensity and core ingredients which are beneficial to the skin in terms of anti-aging benefits. She loved the concept of mineral makeup as the advantages of mineral based makeup includes protecting the skin and smoothing out the appearance of fine lines due to the triple milled particles in her mineral makeup line which do not irritate the skin. 

I have been using the Mineral Blush and Mineral Sheer Tint these last couple of weeks and I feel like I’m almost completely attached to these two products!

ELES Mineral Blush and Mineral Sheer Tint

ELES Mineral Blush in Rose Marble

ELES Mineral Blush in Rose Marble is a  rosey pink with a satin finish and is very pigmented. The blush is housed in a neat little chrome slimline compact with a flip top lid. The net weight of this blush is 4g and it is relatively smaller than all my other blushes in my collection. NARS blushes are 4.5-4.8g, Chanel blushes are 4-6g, MAC blushes are 6g and Dior blushes are ~ 7g.  The small packaging means that the diameter of the compact matches the diameter of my blush brush.  Normally I would lightly swirl my blush brush into the blush pan, however, due to this blush being so pigmented I tent to just lightly dab my blush to pick up the mineral powder onto the brush fibres. 

Upon sweeping the blush onto my cheeks in a ‘C’ motion, the mineral power applies on incredibly smooth to give a beautiful matte rosey flush of colour. In my opinion, the shade is suitable for all skin tones. The colour is buildable, however, it’s not really necessary to build up the colour unless you are using a very light hand to apply this blush. The staying power is amazing and frankly speaking, this blush is the most long-lasting blush I have ever used! The longest period I have worn this blush on is about 10 hours and when I’m about to remove my makeup in the evening, I’m always impressed about the really good staying power.

The shade Rose Marble is not really a unique shade as there are many rosey pink blushes out there. To me, it’s the quality of this triple milled blush that has attracted me to use this on a daily basis. There is only one shade in the ELES Mineral Blush line and I really hope they come up with more shades in future.

Rose Marble- rosey pink blush (satin)

ELES Cosmetics Mineral Sheer Tint

ELES Mineral Sheer Tint is housed in a tube with a very convenient pump on one end. I am amazed of such a creation as I have not seen any beauty products contained in a tube with a pump on one end. I find this very convenient and I love how easy it is to dispense the product from this pump as this would avoid wastage. 

The SPF factor of cosmetic products is an important factor for me as it helps to protect the skin from the sun’s harmful rays and decelerate the skins aging process. ELES Mineral Sheer Tint contains SPF 20, which is a relatively good SPF level for a tinted moisturiser. Most tinted moisturiser and liquid foundations I have come across contain either SPF 10 or 15.

Swatches of ELES Mineral Sheer Tint in Light.

The shade Light is perfect for my light skin tone, for reference my skin tone is matched to MAC NC20, Chanel 20 Claire and Dior 020. The consistency is a very lightweight fluid which holds its shape after you dispense it from the tube. One of the main issues I have encountered with tinted moisturiser is that they are thick and difficult to apply. Mineral Sheer Tint is far from that and that’s why I’m impressed with the consistency of Mineral Sheer Tint. The Mineral Sheer Tint glides onto the skin very smooth and is very hydrating. My skin appears slightly dewy and the coverage makes my skin look very natural. My skin feels very confortable and naked as if I was not wearing any tint on my skin. It was very easy to evenly distribute the tint across my skin and there were no patchy areas. 

Overall, I am very pleased with ELES Mineral Sheer Tint as the formulation and overal finish of this product was suitable for my skin tone and type. The dewy finish looks lovely on my combination skin, however, due to the relatively high humidity in Brisbane (even during autumn) I would prefer to use this product during winter.

ELES Mineral Blush retails for A$39.50 and the Mineral Sheer Tint SPF20 retails for A$66.50. ELES Mineral Makeup is available in over 200 selected beauty salons and day spas in Australia and online at www.elescosmetics.com.au

Have you heard of ELES Mineral Makeup before? Do you use tinted moisturisers during the change of season towards the colder months?

xx Rose

Products were provided for consideration only. This review is 100% based on my own thoughts and opinions. I am not affiliated with ELES Mineral Makeup and did not receive remuneration to post this product review.

Review: MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base

Cosmetic brand MeMeMe is a UK brand that has recently landed in Australia. I first came across MeMeMe when I received a generous sample of their popular Seventh Heaven Moisturising Facebase in my February Bellabox and I am quite surprised to see how strikingly similar this face base is to Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base. 

I absolutely love love LOVE this face base as the formula is lightweight, the consistency is gel-like and it is very nourishing and moisturising on my skin. The face base is enriched with shea butter, vitamin A and beta-carotene to keep the skin hydrated and moisturised. The scent is absolutely heavenly and very pleasant! There are a number of citrus scents formulated including the zest of lemon, orange, lime and mandarin. The lemony-scent is a little overpowering and most dominate between the fruits, however, the scent does disappear over time. I'm very impressed with the results as this face base has characteristics of both a moisturiser and primer. My skin feels supple and smooth which makes it the perfect base for applying foundation. My foundation lasts longer and looks fresh compared to not wearing this face base and the great thing is it absorbs quickly into the skin. The quality is fantastic and I look forward to using this face base every morning.

MeMeMe Seventh Heaven Moisturising Face Base retails for A$34.95 and is available online at www.mememecosmetics.com.au. Currently, if you sign up to their newsletter online you will be honoured a 20% discount off your next purchase.

Have you discovered any products from MeMeMe Cosmetics? 

xx Rose