What's on my face: Review + Swatches

Hello beautiful strangers, 


I threw together this look for my friend Tisha's birthday dinner last Friday and considering how out of practice I am with eye make up, it turned out pretty decent. So here is a little post with mini reviews and swatches of the products that I used for this easy eyeliner-only smoky-eye look.

Shop my Stash: Lips

With the change of seasons, comes the change in lip colours, and since I really need to refrain from spending money on unnecessary things, I did a little shopping around in my collection and here are the six lippies that I've rekindled my love for.

Review + Swatches: Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal & Eye Shadow Sticks

I’m not much of an eye makeup kind of girl but these have got to be some of my favourite eye products ever! 

The Rimmel Scandaleyes are the best eye liners I've ever tried. They’re so easy to use and don’t drag at all and once applied, they do not budge. And not to mention how extremely budget friendly they are. The same goes for the eye shadow sticks, so creamy yet so long lasting!

Top-bottom: Eye shadow sticks in Bulletproof Beige, Bootleg Brown, Bad Girl Bronze. Kohl liners in Bronze, Nude, Black

Review: Rimmel London Lasting Finish Colour Rush Balms

Who didn’t love crayons as a kid? Actually, I didn’t, they were so waxy and the colour payoff was crap. But I do really like lip crayons! The ones that I’ve tried up to now have all been lovely with good colour payoff, and the Rimmel Colour Rush balms are no exception. These “long lasting intense colour balms” really do live up to their name and today I’m gonna share with you 100 give me a cuddle and 130 I want Candy!.

Strawberry smooch: Revlon Strawberry Suede dupes!

After years of hearing Lisa Eldridge and Estée hailing Revlon’s Strawberry Suede as their favourite lipstick, you can only imagine the heart attack I had when I spotted this discontinued beauty at Boots while on vacation in Thailand. I didn’t pick it up right away as I didn’t have any cash on me that day, but I basically spent every waking moment thinking about my discovery, obsessively googling swatches and reading rave reviews.

A few days later, immediately after my purchase I whacked it straight on despite the fact that I had no other makeup on and was about to hop on a flight home. I felt rather like a clown, walking around the airport, bespectacled and makeup-less but with striking red lips. 

Too be honest, I was kind of disappointed, Strawberry Suede didn’t look as amazing as I had imagined. In fact, I had something quite similar in my collection; which is why we are here today. May I present to you, not one, but TWO dupes for Revlon Strawberry Suede.

Loves of May

Hello beautiful strangers, here's what I've been loving for the month of May.


Lioele Nail Polish #10 Cream Purple
#10 Cream Purple is a pink-toned pastel purple. I don't usually go for pink or purple nail colours, but I adore this! I painted my nails with this for three consecutive times (something which I never do) and could not stop staring at my nails. This colour is so gorgeous and adds a pop of colour without being too in your face. It's so creamy and elegant, and gives you a really polished look (not unlike the effect of nude nail polish), making this a very office appropriate shade. You can pick this up at Colourmix for $35hkd or online.


Lioele Blooming Lip Gloss  
After years of hearing Korean beauty bloggers raving about these, I finally picked up #2 Flower Pink and #6 Vanilla Pink (at Colourmix for $50hkd). These lipglosses are so smooth it's like putting silk on your lips; non-sticky, moisturising and good colour pay-off. 
#2 is coral with a slight shimmer, giving a really shiny plump look on the lips. I reach for this A LOT as an everyday gloss, or when I don't know what to wear. #6 is a true pink with lots of shimmer, it looks almost metallic in the bottle, but don't worry it's not at all frosty on the lips. It has more opacity than #2 and looks like a yummy berry milkshake, it looks great with both a fresh face or a heavier make up look.  Also, these lip glosses smell AMAZING, like some kind of peachy Asian candy. The scent, colour and smooth formula make these such a wonderful pick-me-up throughout the day, plus, how pretty is the tube.

YSL Gloss Volupté #203 Corail Gandoura

Oh golly, I love YSL and usually their luxurious gold packaging makes me swoon, but the packaging of this new release is kind of ugly; the chunky silver band makes it so tacky, it would have been much prettier if the Cassandre logo was in gold detailing like the Rouge Volupté lipsticks. But superficial things aside, YSL's new lip glosses are superb! The formula is so lightweight and smooth (again, like silk on your lips) and the colour range is really versatile. I have #203, a lovely creamy peachy coral; the colour goes with EVERYTHING. It makes your lips look so kissable and since it isn't sticky, this is my "go-to" gloss for dates with le bf. Being in the Rouge Volupté family these have the signature mango scent, but to me, here it smells lighter, kind of like mango gelato. I really would love more of these but they come with a hefty price tag of $260hkd *cries*. 

Rimmel Kate Moss Matte Lipstick #110
Ah, this is such a beauty. This orangey red really brightens up your complexion and is definitely a staple for Summer. (Side note: I love me a bold lip, but how do you wear lipstick/gloss on dates and keep it in tact but still kiss your boy? I really haven't figured this out, so do tell me your tips!)
The matte formula gives this a really sexy retro feel, and I feel so good about myself when I wear this (tehehe). These lipsticks are such good quality for the drugstore; the colour intensity is so bright and the matte formula is easy to work with and isn't too drying either. Though I'm really not a fan of the weird melon scent. The lasting power is great, though after a meal it will look really patchy so keep your lipstick and pocket mirror handy.

Lioele nail polish #10, Lioele lip gloss #6 & #2, YSL gloss volupte #203, Rimmel kate lipstick #110

Milkmaid Braids

Hong Kong's summers are so infamously hot and sweaty, so I've really been loving wearing my hair in milkmaid braids. It's so easy to do and is a youthful playful way of keeping your hair out of your face. It's so much more fun than a boring ponytail, which I feel isn't sufficient at combating the heat as I can still feel my hair all around my neck.

Book of the month: The Cuckoo's Calling, Robert Galbraith

OMG, Cuckoo's Calling was so good! I don't know why it's taken me so long to pick this up. I've really missed J.K Rowling's style of writing, it's so descriptive and captivating and really paints the picture. I'm actually so excited for the sequel, coming out this month!  

So there you have it, my favourite things of May and my very first blog post. I hope you enjoyed it, and had a lovely first week of June. What have you been loving lately, I would love to know!

Thanks for reading! Happy Sunday and good night :)

P.S - Hi, I'm Linzi!