Models Own Barely There Eyeshadow Palette Review

Hello Beauties! I hope you all had a fab weekend. Today I’m going to give my opinion of the Models Own Barely There Eyeshadow Palette. I picked this up from Priceline with a gift card I received for around $21 AUD as it was on sale, but it retails for $29.95 AUD. Let me say, for the quality of this palette, it’s worth the full price.

The palette itself is a nice size. It has a nice big mirror, it isn’t too weighty but doesn’t feel cheap either. It contains 10 shadows, 5 mattes and 5 shimmers, which I think is absolutely perfect. I prefer a matte eye look for everyday wear, but appreciate the shimmer shadows for when they’re needed. I think it’s a great size for travel, slim and compact and the shade range means it’s a great companion palette to ones that have great pops of colour but little in the way of transition shades. It also comes with a fairly decent brush. It isn’t the best thing I’ve used but it isn’t the worst either and in a pinch, very serviceable.

Using the Smashbox 24HR Photo Finish Shadow Primer to prime my arm, the ELF Eyeshadow Brush for the brush swatches and the Mikasa Quick Change Brush Cleaner to clean the brush off in between swatches, I’ve shown the swatches below. The first swatch is a finger swatch, followed by a brush swatch.

The first row contains 3 mattes and 2 shimmers. First up is Au Naturel, a pinky cream colour. This colour is perfect for setting your primer if you’re as pale as I am. Next is Naked, a champagne shimmer, leaning more towards the gold end of the spectrum. Third is Birthday Suit, a pink shimmer almost a rose gold. Next is Buff, a chocolate brown matte and lastly is Stark, a dark chocolate brown matte.

The above photo is in natural light, the below photo is using a ring light.

The second row contains 3 shimmers and 2 mattes. First is a Nude, a peachy matte. I often use this as my initial transition and crease colour. Second is Exposed, a chocolate brown shimmer. Next is Secret, a cool tone matte brown, perfect for deepen the crease colour. Fourth is Bare Skin, a golden shimmer and lastly is Unrobed, what I call an old gold shimmer. It’s darker than Bare Skin and cooler toned with an almost green reflect. It reminds me of when a piece of gold jewellery is in need of a good clean.

In my opinion, the matte swatches do not give this palette justice but the shimmers make up for it. If you’re after a subtle shimmer go in with a brush, but if you want a nice reflect with your shimmer shades, go straight in with your finger. It makes a huge difference and really lets the shadows speak for themselves. I don’t find these hard to blend or lacking pigment, I gravitate towards this more than my other palettes when I’m in a rush or just wanting an easy everyday look. Below is a picture after the swatches, it has a little kick up but little to no fall out on the face.

Overall I’d really recommend this palette and am looking forward to trying more from the range. There’s also a Barely There 2 that has been released overseas that looks similar but more warm toned that I can’t wait to get my hands on when it launches in Australia. For $30 bucks, this is a steal for me. The shadows perform just as well, if not better than some of my higher end palettes. They feel really creamy and aren’t chalky at all. They last all day and aren’t patchy. If you’re looking to start out a collection or you’re on a budget, definitely give this one a go.

Have any of you tried Models Own? What did you think? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, Beauties xx

Thin Lizzy Brush Cleaner Review

Let’s be honest, I don’t know a single person that enjoys cleaning their makeup brushes. It’s time consuming, tedious, boring work and if you’re like me and all of your basins are set into a high bench, it can be back breaking. Needless to say I desperately wanted to try a Brush Cleaner that not only did all the work for me, but did it within a minute, including drying time.

For Christmas my wonderful Mama Bear gifted me a Thin Lizzy Brush Cleaner & Dryer. It has changed my life, not gonna lie. I’d been lusting over this style of Brush Cleaner for months but preferred to be spending my money on actual makeup (naive, so naive) than a cleaning product. But now I realise the error of my ways. Not only can I get my 40 odd brushes cleaned and dried in 30 seconds but I kind of look forward to it!

Included in the box is a bowl, handle/spindle, 7 flexible collars and a collar holder. I haven’t yet come across a brush that doesn’t fit within one of the collars which is fantastic. The instruction booklet also includes recipes for cleaning solutions and recommended quantities for brush types (natural vs. synthetic) and brush uses. More soap for brushes for liquid and cream products and less for powder brushes.

Not only have my brushes been getting cleaned weekly and sometimes twice weekly, depending on how often I’ve been wearing makeup, but my skin looks a lot clearer and my makeup goes on effortlessly. It’s definitely a product I would recommend to anyone who wears makeup, whether it’s frequent or not. An added bonus is it’s half the price of other brands I’ve seen, so a bargain in itself!

Have any of you tried a Brush Cleaner like this? What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.

Until next time, Beauties xx

Christmas Haul

Happy New Year, Beauties!

I thought I’d take a break from my makeup story and show you all what I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas. My family know me all too well so as you can imagine it was all beauty related and I love them all so very much for it! Of course the best part was spending time with my loved ones, we even travelled down to a little seaside village, where my in laws live, for a few days to soak up some vitamin D and salty waves, and of course indulge in ALL the food! Safe to say the food coma is over and I’m slightly turned off by eating now. It’ll pass in a few hours though. Onto the haul!

From my beautiful sister I received the Too Faced Matte Chocolate Chip Palette. It’s a miniature, matte version of the OG Chocolate Bar Palette. This is perfect for so many reasons and my sister was so happy she had picked something I loved. I prefer matte eyeshadows for everyday wear and as this is bite sized, it is perfect for travelling! It contains 11 shades from the full sized palette, some shimmers transformed to mattes and of course smells like chocolate.

My wonderful Mum gave me a gorgeous new make up station and a Thin Lizzy Brush Cleaner! She upgraded my old set up with a new desk and chair to match my current decor and she knows how much I loathe washing my makeup brushes so she definitely won points in the useful and wanted categories.

My Dad and his partner must have been in cahoots with my sister, otherwise he is some sort of seer! He got me the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette Vol. 3 which I have been lusting after since it’s Australian release in early November. It contains 6 shades, 3 current and 3 new, ALL gorgeous. I cannot wait to play around with this one. My sister received it for her birthday and cannot stop raving about it.

Last but certainly not least, from my amazing husband I received the Mecca Max Party to the Max Eye and Face Palette, the Mecca Max Pash and Dash Liquid Lip Trio in Nude and a Glamo Tri-Fold Touch and Glow Makeup Mirror and Selfie Beauty Ring Light. I was extremely spoilt by him and so lucky he’s embraced my beauty, makeup and blog life.

I’ll most likely be doing reviews on all the things I received in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for my thoughts on them. I’d love to know what you guys got for Christmas, let me know in the comments below!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful start to the new year!

Until next time, Beauties xx