We are constantly bombarded with new formulations, products and textures by cosmetics companies. It's understandable that the layperson might find these new formulations confusing and sometimes unnecessary. Why use all these new products when my regular powder eyeshadow works just fine?

I totally agree - if you're happy with what you've got and you're comfortable using only that, then by all means, stick to it. Don't fix what ain't broke, right?

If you like to play around with textures and colours, however, and just don't quite know how or are Googling around to find out, then this article is for you.

One product that has been introduced to the cosmetics market (and that doesn't seem to be going away anytime soon) is the crayon eyeshadow, or stick eyeshadow.


These crayons are simply eyeshadows in cream form, and are formulated slightly harder than cream eyeshadows (the ones that come in little pots - more on these products in another post) in order to be able to hold their shape in pencil form. Some come in pencil form and can be sharpened with a slightly larger-sized pencil sharpener, and some are simply twist-up pens.

They are simple and very easy to use - simply apply the product straight from the pencil onto your lid, taking it up to the crease, then blend. I recommend testing these pencil eyeshadows out first before using them on their own - because of the soft, creamy texture, some brands tend to crease and slip around on your eyelid.

How are they different from regular powder eyeshadows? These products look a little different - they create a slightly wetter, more dimensional look on the lid.

Why use eyeshadow sticks then?

For a different look - textures are slightly different when you use eyeshadow sticks.
For a more intense colour - when layered underneath powder eyeshadow of a similar colour, the colour and shimmer of the powder eyeshadow is much stronger and more obvious.
For a long lasting makeup - powder eyeshadow adheres better to cream eyeshadow, and also sets the cream eyeshadow in place. This combination helps your eyeshadow last for hours and hours without smudging, creasing, or melting off.

Here is the difference illustrated in swatches:


My favourite eyeshadow sticks:


NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils - these are by far the most affordable of the lot, but perform equally as beautifully as the higher end eyeshadow sticks on the market. They are very pigmented, and once set with a powder, stay on the lids forever. They come in a host of different colours, some shimmery and some matte, and are easily available in Sephora in Malaysia, and online in Australia at websites like Crush Cosmetics and eBay.


ck one color gloss eyeshadow sticks - these are beautiful, sheer eyeshadow crayons for those who want less pigment in their eyeshadows. They are lightweight and easy to apply onto the skin, and are a little bit more prone to creasing than other eyeshadows, so be sure that you only use this as an eyeshadow base. Because of their shimmery formulas, they create a gorgeous base on top of which to apply your eyeshadows, and give the powder eyeshadows a new, more 'wet' texture.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick - this is the latest product to grace my beauty cupboard, and I have fallen head over heels in love with it. This is one of those rare products that doesn't need to be set with a powder eyeshadow, and has amazing lasting power. It sits on the lids through heat and humidity and somehow still manages to stay put without any creasing or melting throughout the day. Laura Mercier also has an entire host of colours to choose from with these caviar sticks, so I highly recommend these to anyone who wants a quick, easy, and convenient way to wear and touch up their eyeshadow throughout the day.

So what do you think? Are you an eyeshadow stick user, and if you aren't, would you purchase some? I personally find them very convenient, especially for intensifying my eyeshadow colours or to create a quick, no-fuss makeup look.

I love the holiday season and all that comes with it. It is probably the only time I would wear a dark coloured lip - I love the way it looks against the homey greens and reds at Christmastime.

I hope you enjoy this look, and I hope the lighting in this video is better!

Happy Friday, lovelies! I have a brand new video to share with you - my picks for September/October :)


Here is the video!


Here are the products mentioned in the video, plus links to reviews (if any):

Simplicité Exfoliating Face Treatment (read about my Simplicité experience here)
Dior Full Coverage Liquid Foundation Brush (review and similar here)
Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer
Make Up For Ever Aqua Brow
Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio (read a little about it here)
ck one color gloss eyecolor in 600 spin (read a little about it here)
Total Intensity by Prestige Eye Shadows
Chanel Ombre Contrastes Duo in Sable-Emouvant
Alexami Cosmetics Mineral Blush in Candy Pink (swatch here: http://www.emilyquak.com/2012/10/whats-in-my-makeup-bag-spring-2012.html)
Kryolan High Gloss in Toffee

I hope you enjoyed watching!

When Mother Nature gets Spring right, I just want to run outside (wide-brimmed hat in tow) and take in the beautiful colours, the sun's rays, and the looks on everyone's faces being out and about on such a beautiful day.


My makeup products do change as the weather changes (not my colours though, I pretty much wear what I want when it comes to that), and I thought you might like to see what I have inside my makeup bag for Spring. These aren't Spring-specific products - they are just products that have found their way into my proverbial makeup bag of late. I say proverbial because I don't actually own a makeup bag; I have a makeup drawer where I keep my most-used products and this is where these products are stored:


Shu Uemura Tsuya Skin UV Under Base Youthful Radiance Mousse
I don't normally use primers, but ever since discovering some gems (including the Dermalogica Skin Perfect Primer, which you can read about here) I have added  this little step to my foundation routine. This primer by Shu Uemura is infused with their Tsuya skincare technology, which helps to heal and restore skin. What I love about this is that it is very light to apply, and provides a light dewy base for my foundation to sit on top of. It is also pink-based, which brightens my skin and gives it a soft luminosity.


Bare Minerals Original Foundation in Light
I recently rediscovered my love for mineral foundation because they are so gentle on the skin, and quite effective at disguising flaws. I want my skin to be able to breathe and prevent my pores from getting clogged, and mineral foundation is the perfect way to do that! Since my skin is a little bit more moisturised now that it's Springtime, I also have a great base upon which I can apply a powder foundation.


Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear Concealer
This cult classic from the UK is just one of many concealers that I am trialling at the moment, to put together a complete concealer review across all sorts of brands. What I like about this one is that it has fantastic coverage, and hardly moves when I brush over it with my blush brush.


Physician's Formula Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio
This eyeliner actually comes in a pack of three - with complementing colours to enhance blue, brown and green eyes. My eyeliner is for enhancing blue eyes, but I find that the colours still compliment my skin and are so beautiful! My favourite is the black eyeliner (which can be found in both the brown and blue eyes trios) because it is intense - something you hardly ever find in a drugstore pencil eyeliner - doesn't budge at all even when I cry or sweat, and doesn't need to be sharpened. If you need to sharpen the tip, it does come with a tiny little sharpener at the end. So convenient!
I dare say this is my absolute favourite drugstore eyeliner. If you are looking for an affordable eyeliner (this comes in a trio and the total price is roughly AUD22, which comes down to approximately AUD7.33 per liner) then you need to check this out!


Rimmel Scandaleyes Show Off Mascara
Another great product is this Rimmel mascara, which has a bulbous tip and is why I love this mascara so much. It doesn't add much volume to the lashes, so I recommend using this on top of a base mascara or a volumnising mascara. What it does do is define each and every lash, separate them so they look more fluttery, and lengthen them. It holds a curl pretty damn well too!


Total Intensity by Prestige Long Term Relationship Fierce Color Eyeshadows
I know Prestige as the brand that makes the blackest black eyeliner in drugstore eyeliner history. It didn't surprise me much when they launched the Total Intensity eyeshadow range, though to say I was excited would be understating it. These eyeshadows are everything I want in an eyeshadow - buttery, smooth, extremely pigmented, and long-lasting. I absolutely adore the light colours in the range (not pictured because I have them out for a makeup tutorial) because they really highlight the eyes so well, plus they are long lasting so they rub off less easily. These are my favourites out of the darker colours, because they have so much depth to them. I love all the colours in this range, actually, so if you like your eyeshadows intense and smooth you need to swatch these in store. Let me just tell you now, you will want them ALL.



ck one eyecolor gloss sticks
I love playing with eyeshadows and creating different textures, and my absolute favourite kind of texture by far is that of cream eyeshadows. They add such a beautiful glossiness to the makeup look, plus they help the eye makeup last longer. These ck one eyecolor gloss sticks make it so easy and convenient to do a makeup look like that, without the hassle and hygiene concerns that come with pots. The gold is by far my favourite of the three, because it can be layered under any eyeshadow, and adds a beautiful glossiness and depth of colour.



Alexami Mineral Cosmetics
This is another mineral cosmetics brand that I've been trialling recently and their powder formulas have really impressed me. Their blush in candy pink is the prettiest peachy colour you have ever seen, and it is so easy to apply with their puff sponge, which by the way, makes it impossible to overdo your blush or be too heavy-handed with it.
Their mineral eyeshadows are a thing of beauty, with shimmer pigments that catch the light just right and colours that you just want to stare at all day long.



Simplicité Hydrating Floral Toning Spritz and Angelica Lip Care Balm
Both these products have become staple skincare as well as makeup products for me. The spritz is great to finish up a makeup look and to keep my skin looking refreshed. The balm is something I apply right before I start my makeup routine, so that by the time I am done, my lips are chap-free and ready for lipstick.

So that's a full breakdown of some of my favourite makeup products at the moment! Do you use any of these products? Have you got any product recommendations for me? :)

This is a very, very late video, I know! I hope you guys enjoy it anyway.

Hello everyone! This post is a little late, because I've had quite a few things to deal with, but it is finally up and I hope you guys enjoy it!


So as promised, here's my step-by-step guide to a long-wearing, shaped red lipstick.







And that's it! Here are a couple of products that I used to create this tutorial.

I have posted swatches of these lipsticks below:



As I mentioned earlier, the concealers used around the lip need to be moisturising. My favourites are the MAC Select Moisturecover and the Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancer.

I hope this post helped you! x

Hi everyone! I got my internet connection back a couple of days ago and I immediately started working on editing my video so that I could get something up as soon as possible. I'm finally posting the Orchid-inspired makeup tutorial and I hope you guys like it!

Products used:


Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup in Fresh Neutral
NVEY Eco Organic Erase Concealer
Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express Kit in Brunette
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
Illamasqua Powder Eye Shadow in Sex
Sleek i-Divine Mineral Eyeshadow Palette in Circus
Illamasqua Fundamental Palette
ck one color Liquid Eyeliner Marker in The Drama
L'Oreal Paris Lumi Magique Highlighter Pen
Sleek Luminous Pressed Powder in 01
Tom Ford Shade and Illuminate in Intensity One
Clinique Fresh Bloom Allover Color in Posy
NYX Round Lipstick in Fig
NYX Brush on Gloss in Lilac Fields

So my June favourites video is finally up! I was being diligent and filmed it before the end of the month, but because of other commitments, I could only upload it today *fail* :(

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this video!

Also, be warned - I say 'really' and 'amazing' a lot in this video. And I mean a LOT. I apologise in advance for this. It always happens when I feel a little off whilst filming - I lose all ability to come up with different descriptive words. Ugh.

So here's the video!



And here are the products that I mentioned in the video:

LMS Spotlight 3 (£29.99)
Adore Beauty Serum Sampler
Pedi-Sox (review to come)
L'Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows
Luview Triple Baked Eyeshadows (swatches to come)
Sleek i-Divine palette in Oh So Special
Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Fantasme
Illamasqua Sheer Lipgloss in Intimacy
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Shy Honey
Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Wild Rose
Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer Mist
ck one pure color Liquid Eyeliner Marker in The Drama

Hi guys! I hope all your Mondays are going well :)

I am doing a quick review of the ck one Pure Color lipsticks today - I got sent three colours:

• 600 Must Do
• 510 Loudmouth
• 810 Smooch

I also have pictures of the lipsticks, if that helps.

• Creamy texture
• Not too creamy, which means that they last longer on the lips
• Relatively long-lasting
• Pigmented - one swipe is all you need to achieve full colour

What I don't love:

• This doesn't really count as a negative in my book, seeing as how Australia's cosmetics are generally quite expensive, but this lipstick retails at AUD 35. Not cheap, but not unreasonable either?

Hi guys! I have finally uploaded my video tutorial for hooded lids and monolids, using some really long-lasting makeup products so your eye makeup should last all night!

The eyeliner is inspired by Kim Kardashian's eyeliner when she does those really dark smoky eyes - I love how intense the eyeliner looks and how it really shapes her eyes! I've posted a couple of pictures so you can get a little bit of an idea of what this look is like:



Here's the video and listed below are the products that I used to create this look:




Products used:

Jemma Kidd School Light As Air Liquid Foundation in 02 Light
Jemma Kidd School Mannequin Skin Complexion Enhancer (review here)
SAX Perfect Brow Shaping Kit (read more about it here)
Australis 10 Hr Wear Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze(review and swatches here)
ck one Eyeshadow Base in 710 Prim
ck one Liquid Eyeliner Marker in 800 The Drama
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Bourjois Healthy Mix Concealer in #51
Sleek Face Contour Kit in Medium
Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Wild Rose
Burberry Lip Cover in Nude Beige

Thanks for watching guys! If you have any requests for tutorials or videos, please let me know in the comments or via email!

Hi guys! A few gems to share with you this month :)



Products mentioned:

Yuko System Color Lock-in Shampoo and Treatment (review here)
Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original and Brunette
Not Your Mother's Girl Powder Volumnizing Powder (review here)
ghd Detangling Comb (review here)
Mode Cosmetics Nail Enamels (available in selected pharmacies nationally in Australia and New Zealand)
Australis 10hr Waterproof Eye Pencils (available from June in selected pharmacies and department stores across Australia)
ck one Pure Color Lipsticks (video review to come)
Bioré Pore Unclogging Scrub