Review - W7 Cosmetics Banana Dreams Loose Powder

 W7 - Banana Dreams Loose Powder

Previously, the only banana powder I had heard of was the 'Ben Nye Bella Luxury Powder'. A number of celebrities and celebrity makeup artists raved about it as it can be used as a highlighter, neutralizer and all round translucent powder. It is also praised for being a product that can be used on a number of different skin tones.

Recently however, I discovered the brand 'W7 Cosmetics'. It's a UK based company that have created a number of products including a banana powder which they call "Banana Dreams". Like the Ben Nye product, it is a loose powder with the signature yellow tinge. 

This will hopefully be one of many reviews I do of W7 products. One thing I was stocked to find out was that W7 are cruelty free, check out this blog to see how the company responded to a question on this matter. To go to the W7 Cosmetics website click here.

I was able to snag this product for $8 NZD at a makeup sale, but I did manage to find it on a NZ website for $19 (Please note that I can't make a comment on the services offered from the W7 website as I am yet to purchase from the company directly)

It contains 20g of product and although this doesn't seem like a lot, I've had it for 6 months using it close to/over 100 times and I've barely made a dint in it.

So far I have been pretty impressed with this product. 

I have a really bad 'habit' of rushing while doing my makeup and inevitably messing up my contour. Usually I go a little too dark or extend it a little to far towards my mouth. I quite often don't have time to re-do everything so I usually just end up trying to buff it out or  trying to cover it up. I've found the banana powder great for this. I use a tiny amount, usually just what is left over on the lid, on my Real Techniques 'Multi Task' brush and buff until I correct the error of my ways.

I also use it in conjunction with a shimmering highlighter for an everyday highlight colour that I feel comfortable wearing to work. 

Overall the powder is extremely light and silky and doesn't leave my face looking cakey or dry. I have used this to set concealer under my eyes and haven't experienced any creasing yet! The only downside is that it is a loose powder so it can be a hassle to travel with, but I feel like this is a good trade off when you consider how light and for lack of a better word 'fluffy' the product is.

I haven't tried the Ben Nye product so unfortunately I can't compare the two. 

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend this product to anyone who is looking into a banana powder/setting powder, and I probably will buy it again (hopefully on sale!). Going off the $20 'normal' price tag, I believe that it is value for money. 


( Image photo from W7 Website)

Jeffree Star: Velour Liquid Lipstick Reviews (714, Celebrity Skin & Androgyny)

JEFFREE STAR: VELOUR LIQUID LIPSTICKS

My collection of velour liquid lipsticks from Jeffree Star stands at three.

• 714 (Old version - Discontinued)(right);
• Celebrity Skin (middle); and,
• Androgyny (left).

I was super excited about getting to try these products after watching numerous reviews of them. All are a super smooth liquid formula that goes on like a lipgloss, but dries matte. And when I say matte, I mean matte -  it's incredible!

They are cruelty free and come in a variety shades from bright Tiffany blue to a pitch black.

*DISCLAIMER* Since originally posting this blog entry I have decided to no longer support Jeffree Star or his products. That is my decision. This blog entry will remain as a review of the products only.

714 (Discontinued)

Of the three, I’m not a huge fan of this one. One of the good yet bad thing about these lipsticks is that they can look completely different on different people. The swatches I had seen showed  a creamy, light coral colour (like what it looks like in the above photo), however, when I put it on, I get more of a bright/fluro pink. Now don’t get me wrong, the colour is still nice but it’s just not something I would wear. I also found that since it is lighter than the others, getting a nice even coverage is kinda difficult. Even with two coats and taking my time, I still had a lot of patchiness and streaks.  Also, I found that it makes any imperfections on your lips stand out. The saving grace about these liquid lipsticks however is that you can mix them! So even though this shade isn't my favourtie I'm planning on using the whole product. You can get some really lovely colours by mixing this with Celebrity Skin and Androgyny - add small amounts of 714 until you get the colour and quantity you want.

*Please note a new LE 714 has been announced for the US 2016 Summer - this is not that formula, this is the original formula. The new formula comes in yellow packaging rather than pink.

Celebrity Skin

This was the first of the three lipsticks I received and it made me want to buy more! It's a nude colour that is mostly brown but also has some pink undertones to it. Like 714, this one looks slightly different on me than it does on the swatches I've seen. On me it turns into a darker brown, but I still love it! It's different to what I normally wear, lasts FOREVER, and I get comments on it all of the time!

Androgyny

This one is definitely my favourtie. So cool. It is a deepish plum colour that honestly looks great on everyone. It came out as a limited edition colour over the Christmas Holiday but it sold out so quickly, that they had to re-release it as an all year round product.

All three shades (Androgyny, Celebrity Skin & 714) once left to dry to matte.

The only downside to these is that they are not cheap. At around $35 NZD, they're an investment. Because of this, I'm probably not going to buy any for a while, but I will keep an eye out for any new releases. 

If you're not buying androgyny, I suggest looking at as many swatches as possible, in the hope that you see how the lipstick can look on a range of skin tones/lip colours.

You can check out the full range here: http://jeffreestarcosmetics.com/collections/velour-liquid-lipstick 

*DISCLAIMER* Since originally posting this blog entry I have decided to no longer support Jeffree Star or his products. That is my decision. This blog entry will remain as a review of the products only.

LUSH Rehab Shampoo Review

Today I thought I would share my thoughts on the "Rehab" Shampoo!

Retailing at 100g for $15.50, 250g for $26.90 and 500g for $37.50 (all NZD), the product is a little pricey. Especially if you're like me and you enjoy getting a really good lather goin' on. Luckily however, I have so far found that you don't need a lot of this product to create a lovely amount of bubbles.

I have been using this alongside LUSH conditioners (Veganese and American Cream) and another conditioner that I usually use and it has been working great!

It has an amazingly fresh scent that kind of reminds me of the Woosh shower jelly but with a touch of peppermint. Lots of fruit juice is packed into this product including pineapple, mango and kiwi fruit.

The peppermint has helped to stimulate my scalp, while the seaweed has helped it to become smoother and a lot less frizzy. I haven't seen a huge amount of change in terms of my hair being repaired, but my hair may just be past the point of repair...time will tell.

I have a few more shampoos/shampoo bars to try before I go out an buy more, but the Rehab shampoo will definitely be a strong front runner!

Overall, I have really liked this product and will definitely consider buying again!

LUSH Veganese Conditioner Review

As part of LUSH NZ's awesome Boxing Day/New Years Sale, I got a whole heap of products for half price. A lot of these were hair products, and the first one I tried was the Veganese Hair Conditioner.

This is the first product I have bought from LUSH and been disappointed with.

Usually retailing for $15.90 for 100g, $27.50 for 250g and $37.90 for 500g, it isn't super cheap. However, it has similar pricing to other LUSH hair products.
I enjoyed the lemon smell, and although the product I received appeared to be a little thinner than what is shown on the website, it was easy to apply and wash out.

However, the results aren't really something to brag about. I've tried this product for over a week now and have used a number of different of shampoos (including LUSH branded shampoos) that work well with my hair in combination with it. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work for me. My hair becomes dry and makes brushing/styling my hair almost impossible, and I'm not sure why. My hair has never responded to a wash out product like this before.

Although I am not vegan, I can appreciate LUSH trying to accommodate a wider range of people by creating this product.

After reading a mixture of reviews on this product, if I was considering trying this again, I would only buy the 100g option, or go into a store and ask for a sample or talk to their wonderful staff to see if it is best suited for a certain type of hair.

But due to the results I've received, I will not be re-purchasing this product and using the remaining of the bottle by using it 50/50 with conditioners I know that work for me.