Sephora Favourites 'Meet your Match' Value Set - Is it worth it?

Sephora Favourites 'Meet your Match' Value Set $25.00 available from www.sephora.com 

If you're an avid reader of Beauté Gazette then firstly - Thank you so much and I hope you continue to read and support my beauty adventures! Secondly you would know that I live in Australia, which sometimes feels like I am living on the moon, we don't have access to amazing US based stores like Sephora and to make it worse they wont even ship their amazing products to our shores if you shop online. *Bangs head in frustration*

So whenever family or friends go to the States I ask them to pick me up a value set from Sephora because they are easy to find instore and are compact to pack. The packs are usually a great deal and I get to try a bunch of different products which aren't available locally. When my main buddy and tumblr partner in crime Greta returned from NYC on Sunday with a very anticipated as a pressie from Sephora, I was so so so so excited to try out all the products. The box she picked up for me was the 'Meet Your Match' box set which features 'A lip and nail set that features the most covertable lip and nail hues'  says Sephora. Here is my review of all 6 mini sized products packed into this cute little box:

Bite Beauty Lip Gloss in 'Lush Fruit'

I have been very curious about the Bite lip products they've had great reviews online. This lipgloss is just a very standard lipgloss, nothing fancy or out of the norm, when on the lips the pigmentation is sheer and it is quite thick in consistency. I love the colour, it is a muted magenta which is really really pretty on the lips.

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lipgloss in 'Child'

The texture of this gloss is really comfortable on the lips, it glides on and isn't sticky at all. The colour is a bit meh on the lips not pigmented at all and you can see your natural lip colour under the gloss, but gives a nice glossy finish. I am definitely keen to test out this gloss in the different shades available.

Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in 'Elite'

I totally love the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes and was really excited about trying the Lip Tints. This is very similar to the Revlon Balm Stains and even has a minty scent too. Because it is so similar other formulas I have tried before and so it kind of feels a bit  been there done that with this product.

Deborah Lippmann Nail Polish in 'Girls just want to have fun'

When Greta handed me the box this was the first product that jumped out at me, the colour is perfection! I have always loved Deborah Lippmann's formula polish. Orange based red coloured polishes are my go to pedi colour of choice, and I am desperate to get this colour on my toes STAT!

Nails Inc Nail Polish in 'Devonshire Row'

Nails Inc has been a hot and miss brand for me with the products I have tried previously, it gets talked about alot by UK bloggers but every colour I have tried has been a fail. The colour is ok but nothing special and the formula isn't the best. This is the biggest disapointment in the 'Meet Your Match' box. 

Sephora Formula X Nail Polish in 'Invincible'

Why oh why isn't there Sephora in Australia? Apart from stocking incredible premium brands, Sephora's own brand of products are one of my favourite lines instore and especially their nail polishes. Formula X is the latest realese and I love it!  'Invincible' is a bone coloured nude which takes 2-3 coats like a standard nude polish does but I love it.

So is it worth $25.00? Yes! I mean there are some misses in the box but trying out products like this is a great way to know if you would like to buy the full sized product.

Sephora Favourites 'Meet your Match' Value Set $25.00 available from www.sephora.com 

xxx Nella

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Deborah Lippmann's 'Across The Universe' VERSUS Sally Hansen's 'Mermaids Tale'

The word 'dupe' is used quite a lot within the online beauty world and I don't really believe in dupes. If you want to buy a Chanel lipstick then there are many more reasons you are buying it rather than just for the colour i.e packaging, branding, prestige etc. So in this case if you want to splash out and order a Deborah Lippmann nail polish from the states and that's what your into then its totally cool but if you are more likely to pop into Priceline and pick up a bottle of Sally Hansen's 'Mermaids tale' then that's cool too. Both polishes give a very similar finish to your nails, but are quite different in application.
So I am just going to give you the facts:

Deborah Lippmann 'Across The Universe'
Availability: Only online for Australian consumers at www.revolveclothing.com
Price: $19.85each
Application and lasting time: The appearance of the polish in the bottle is deceiving, the glitter is suspended in a sheer jelly base. It takes about 3 and a half coats to become completely opaque on the nail making dry time a real pain, time to put on Benjamin Button or some other really long movie and not touch anything for about 2 and a half hours. Only apply a topcoat to your nails once the polish is dry, otherwise you will move the glitter pieces around and it will look a bit of a mess. Lasting time was ok, but because of how thickly you need to apply the polish it does chip in a 3 to 4 days. I like applying this polish over a navy blue base colour to avoid having to apply so many coats.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in 'Mermaids Tale' 
Availability: From Priceline stores and www.priceline.com.au
Price: $14.95each
Application and lasting time: Applying this polish is a dream, the Salon Manicure range has very wide brush which fits neatly into your nail bed and requires less stroke to cover your entire nail. It takes 2 coats to achieve an opaque finish on the nail with the glitter applying evenly and not clumping. It definitely needs a topcoat to give the surface an even and glossy look. 'Mermaids Tale' lasted 5 days with minimal chipping which is quite good considering the amount of washing up and champagne drinking I did on the week of wearing the polish.

xxx Nella

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Just Another Manicure Monday : Cobalt Mermaid Tips

Revlon Top Speed ' Royal' $13.99 Deborah Lippmann 'Across the Universe' $25.00 Seche Vite Top Coat $14.95

I am so crazy for cobalt in general - Cobalt 541 C in pantone just incase anyone needed to know. Revlon's Royal is a true bright cobalt it is a dream to apply, opaque in 2 coats. The brush on Revlon polishes isn't my favorite but it's easy to get the hang of once you're up to your third nail or so. It dries to a semi matte and but glosses up nicely with a top coat if you want to wear it on its own BUT this is Manicure Monday so like hell I am wearing it on its own! Glitter tips are a cute edition to jazz up your average nail, apply glitter with either a sponge or several layers of glitter top coat. The end result is as pretty a mermaids tail.

Hype Machine # 1

I love living in Australia but I do not love reading international beauty blogs and reading about amazing products then searching to find an Australian stockist or and even international online stockist that will ship to Australia only to come up with absolutely nada. The Australian Beauty retail options are very limited with Mecca Cosmetica being the most forward and stocking limited range of international brands and Department stores only offering the big brands. Smaller and more interesting boutique beauty brands are not being represented on the market.
So here are a list of things that I am desperately in lust with because I cannot get my greedy little mits on them.

1. Real Techniques Brushes  $5.99 - $17.99 (US dollar price)
The much raved about line of brushes developed by Makeup artist and youtube guru Samantha Chapman, which by all reviews sound absolutely amazing. Especially the 'Buffing Brush' for liquid and mineral foundation and the 'Concealer Brush' for blending in under eye concealer. I can only find the brush sets with international shipping on US eBay, the prices are more than inflated they are hot air ballooned. The core collection set is available at Ulta in the US for US$17.99, the lowest price I have found on line is US$30.00 + US$23.00 shipping. I may be obsessed with makeup but I am not an idiot.

2 Deborah Lippman $23.00 (US dollar price)
Recently I posted about 'Accross the Universe' the mermaid-esque polish from Deborah Lippman, somehow I managed to buy this on eBay at a reasonable price. I knew I would love the polish so I risked not actually ever seeing it in person and 'confirmed to buy' however with all nail polish brands there are good colours and not so good colours. With no Australian stockists as yet I am stuck browsing the Deborah Lippman website imagining the perfect colours on my nails.

3. Rouge Bunny Rouge Sea of Illumination Highlighting Liquid  £64.00
Rouge Bunny Rouge is a brand I heard about from my favorite youtube beauty reviewer SETH!!!!!
He is incredible, I cannot explain how much I love watching his videos - his voice has the most calming tone and he knows what he is talking about in terms of makeup. He did a complete brand review of Rouge Bunny Rouge and it aesthetically looks like a brand I would really bro down with, my main obsession has been the Illuminating Highlighting Liquid - available in 4 shades Sea of Clouds, Sea of Showers, Sea of Tranquility, Sea of Nectar. Divine - right? Anyway no international sellers as yet and with product this expensive I would like to test it on my skin before jumping in with £64.00 (AU$98.00).

4. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Foundation $47.60 ( Available 9th July)
OK OK OK! Hold onto you hats! This is very exciting news, 20 years after the famous Touche Eclat highlighting pen was released by Yves Saint Laurent  they are following up with a Foundation. Yes you read that correctly and you weren't hallucinating in heaven. The spiel is basically the same as all new foundations light weight, illuminating, light infused blah blah then I got to this part which is GENIUS:

'Classical foundation formulas contain varying amounts of opaque powders that ensure a diffused reflection. The negative drawback? A "mask" effect that can be a real problem, especially on darker skins, which tend to look grey.

Now, for the very first time with Le Teint Touche Éclat Foundation, Yves Saint Laurent has succeeded in resolving this by replacing the opaque powder with a soft focus gel. It forms a diffusing and translucent film on the skin’s surface that smoothes away imperfections without ever masking the skin. Its key asset is to ensure skin colour purity.'


5. Sisley Highlighting Orchidée Blush $108.00 (US dollar price)
This is the prettiest bronzer/highlighter/blush compact I have ever seen! Imprinted with an orchid - are you kidding me? It is stunningly beautiful and stunningly US$108.00 so for now I am going to just put it on my 'Lust List' and try and dupe it with something less and expensive and less pretty.

Winter Nail Combos : Across the Universe

It's taken a while but I have finally found my favorite winter nail glitter combo.

Last winter it was all about a deep red with a high gloss topcoat, but since I have been totally addicted to glitter polishes I was desperate to find a combo that would match the cooler weather.

The above is my absolute favorite:

1. Revlon Top Speed Black

If you are using any glitter polish with a jelly base to make it pop - do your base in flat colour that matches. Navy would also work well with this look. Because there are going to be quite a few layers choose one which will give you total opacity in one coat and a quick dryer otherwise you are going to waiting around for ages not being able to do anything stuck in the hands in the air drying stance.

2. Deborah Lippmann Across the Universe

This is a total nail splurge! Could I have shopped around and got a dupe? Yes. I saw it and fell in love and before I knew it I was paying $14 shipping for it to come from Jamaica on Ebay. Oh well. Thank goodness I LOVE IT! It's a jelly so if applied on its own it would take 5 coats to be opaque. The blues and green glitter are so pretty and my nails kind of look like beetle wings. On saturday really cute hunk told me my nails looked like 'Galaxy's' - Which was the last confirmation I needed to know this was the ultimate winter nail combo.

3. Seche Vite Fast Dry Topcoat

Holy water of a Topcoat, this will change your life. It takes about 10mins dry time but then its done and not budging, the result is super super shiny. Apparently it has loads of chemicals in it and isn't the best for you - just a heads up!

So excited to debut this out of control 'Galaxy' look at the next N.P.A meeting.