Trend watch: Eyeshadow Sticks

2012 was the year of Beauty Balm, Lip Balms / Butters and nail art & glitter, but what will 2013 have in store for us? Cream Shadow Sticks! Bobbi Brown and Clinique are launching these suckers in a store near you!

Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow Tint For Eyes

Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Cream Shadow Stick

Katie Holmes is pimping Bobbi's brand and Clinique is using the effervescent candy theme.

Bobbi Brown's Long-Wear Eyeshadow Sticks (retails for $28.00 USD) are available for purchase online now. Clinique's Chubby Stick Shadow is due to hit counters this February and they will retail for $16.00 USD (double that price for Australians). Although, I did read an article about price harmonisation, but when will that happen?

Will you give these newbies a go?

Underwear that's fun to wear -- Underwear of Sweden

It's a hot day and you want to hit the beach or the pool after a hard day at work, but shoot, you forgot your bathing suit! Well, that's when Underwear of Sweden's Swimmable Underwear comes to the rescue -- Helene Pilhage, owner and designer, started her company to help women in this sort of predicament. For a lot of Australians (including myself) who live and work near the six major cities of this beautiful continent are within driving, walking and cycling distance to some of the loveliest beaches in the world. With Australia's scorching heat during the summer, sweet relief can be sought by jumping in the water. And why not take the plunge in something really cute too?

Underwear of Sweden

Recently I selected a set (non-swimmable) to try on myself, but I ran into a slight problem. The sizes I chose run on the smaller side -- I could get the garments on, however, it wasn't cute :( For review purposes I'll go into detail about the quality, look and feel.

Sweet details

Chantilly lace

lightly padded cups

Adjustable straps

Sturdy bra clasp with felt backing to help reduce friction

Extreme close up of lace

The Eve bra and brief are both made of nylon and elastane for a silky smooth feel and fit. The white lace detailing plays well with the red floral pattern, further enhancing the girlish sentiment of the garments. The stitching is of the highest quality, which leads me to believe this underwear is built to wear, wash and last.

I have a feeling the likes of Bettie Page, Rita Hayworth and Eva Gardner would give this brand their stamp of approval. Romantic, playful and (fun)ctional.

Underwear of Sweden isn't a brick and mortar store, so do take care in selecting your sizes accurately. Their price points are comparable to Victoria's Secret, Cotton On and most department store brands.

Like what you've seen here? Underwear of Sweden is an Australian brand -- international shipping is available and they even accept Paypal!

*PR sample provided –  Thoughts and ramblings written here are completely my own.

This or That: Beauty on a budget

On my quest to find the perfect shade of turquoise eyeliner, I narrowed the field down to two opponents.

Swatches of Savvy by DB (left) and Essence (right)

Both pencils present with similar qualities:

Retractable pencil - no sharpening required

"Long lasting"

Similar in style to far more expensive brands, e.g. Stila, Chanel and Lancome

Appeared to be waterproof in the absence of such claims

Subtle fallout

Turquoise

Wearing Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise (left) and Savvy by DB's Turquoise (right)

Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise

Essence's Tu-Tu-Turquoise is the cheaper of the two (retails for $2.95 AUS) and in an ocean of blue, Tu-Tu-Turqoise hovers at the top. Application was easy -- the colour appeared almost immediately with a glimmer of sparkle. This formula stays as promised, however, fallout occurs during application; be prepared to clean up a few flecks of colour before walking out the door.

Savvy by DB (retails for $6.99 AUS) is a deeper and darker turquoise shade, it's more like the deep end of the ocean. Application was just as simple, yet took a little longer. The pencil needed to be warmed in order to get the colour party started. As with Tu-Tu-Turquoise, Savvy by DB's Turquoise also requires clean up. Don't worry about a dance party in your crease either, once applied Turquoise falls in line.

Which turquoise pencil came out swinging?

Points go to Essence for affordability and availability; it's also my personal favourite. For a more sophisticated turquoise eye, Savvy by DB is the pencil for you; Australian ladies can find this shade at their local Priceline. For the International set, Stila's Peacock appears to be a close, albeit more expensive, dupe.

Eyes to mesmerize: Tarina Tarantino's Eye Dream Highlight Hyperliner in Amethyst Android

All your eyeliner are belong to us ;) A week ago I was perusing my local Mecca Cosmetic and noticed the entire staff wearing neutral coloured eyeshadow and turquoise eyeliner. Super cute, simple and fun! And that is how I put Tarina Tarantino's Eye Dream Highlight Hyperliner (try saying that five times fast!) in Amethyst Android.

Temptalia did a thorough review a little over a year ago -- a seed was planted.

Tarina Tarantino

Recently Tarina Tarantino decided to let her contract with Sephora end, a sale followed suit and I managed to nab a liner for $9.00 USD (regularly $15.00) during my visit to the States. Have no fear, Tarina's makeup range is due to debut on her own website as early as this month! In the meantime, I'm kicking myself for not picking up more colours.

Amethyst Android, blurple sparkle (blue and purple combined :)) is a soft eye crayon with amazing waterproof abilities. Your tears will have no fears should you happen to shed a few. Colour opacity had to be built up by way of making soft strokes (more like Morse code); by the time I reached the outer corners of my eyes, I found I wasn't having to go over my handiwork repeatedly as the crayon had warmed. This look was paired with minimal makeup -- I used MAC's Shroom all over my lids and painted black mascara on my lashes.

The sparkle is subtle, it mainly helps to enhance the colour's intensity by reflecting the light. It's appropriate for day, night or both.

Amethyst Android

The final look

The Bagful breakdown:

Total amount for Tarina Tarantino's Eye Dream Highlight Hyperliner in Amethyst Android:

• $9.00 USD; regularly retailed for $15.00 USD. I hope Tarina doesn't increase her prices once the move is complete.

Value for money spent (performance and quality):

• 10 out of 10 bags – A total steal! User-friendly and lasts all day.

Would another purchase be on the horizon?:

• Can I have all the colours found in the rainbow?

Correction...

Tweet dated 22 December 2012