Showing posts with label beauty blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beauty blog. Show all posts

Thursday, 13 August 2015

How I Order my Makeup from USA!

Forwarding Addresses, Sephora, MAC etc!  

As some of you may know, I'm from New Zealand, 
a small country at the bottom of the map!
For the longest time, I had been dreaming of the products & prices 
American Beauty Lovers enjoy, including Reward points & Deluxe Samples!
Then I heard about - Forwarding Services
So basically a Forwarding Service is a Delivery service that provide you 
with an American address to use when ordering on any American site.
Your parcel is delivered to their Warehouse in USA, you pay for Shipping from there, 
& they send your order here, to your house, in NZ! 


Here are a few services I've tried myself, trust & continue to use =

www.nzpost.co.nz/Youshop - Free Sign up 
This is one Forwarding Service I use all the time! It's based in NZ, stems from their NZ post website. I personally find this site the easiest, most affordable & trustworthy to use. 
When you sign up, you will receive addresses tp their warehouses in USA, UK & China + your own NZ post I.D number. This is a MUST to enter into the shipping information to ensure you receive your order. I personally DON'T enter the I.D number in the "First Name" section, as long as it's in the Address Line you're fine! When it arrives to their warehouse, the I.D no. will show up under your name, they will email you payment info for shipping & send it away to you!
I use YouShop when ordering from MAC USA, Too Faced Cosmetics & now Sephora!
They do have a consolidation option for multiple packages & discounted prices the more you have - up to 10 boxes! 
Check the product restrictions for YouShop before ordering, some products e,g Perfume is dangerous goods & won't get accepted/sent!

Note: 
Sephora does not accept Debit Cards & will cancel orders, only Credit Cards are accepted as they don't have a set currency!
Too Faced Cosmetics will only accept PayPal payments, select or enter your given US address on PayPal, otherwise they will decline your card for your order.

www.UStoOZ.com - Free Sign up
I've used this service a few times to order from Sephora when I got perfume samples or wanted to order their Perfume Mini sets etc
Based in Australia, specifically for ordering from the US, this site has an initial service fee that is added to the Shipping Price in the end. When you sign up you need to "Place Order", let them know you want "To make an Order using their Address" (There are 3 options) & Enter the products you'll be ordering. This will ensure you get everything you ordered! Including Samples..
They are more expensive then other services, but for a few reasons, consolidation is free no matter how many orders, and perfume is accepted & sent to NZ.
I found with UStoOZ, the more orders you make the more reasonable the price is.
Once they receive your package, you are emailed with a few Shipping options including with or without insurance, 6-10 days or 2-4 weeks arrival time etc

www.Shipito.com - $5 Sign up Fee
This is the first Service I used, I heard about this site through Shaaanxo on YouTube.
This site is more confusing to use in my opinion but its trustworthy & does work!
You start by signing up with a $5 fee to prove you have a working card, get your Address & start shopping! Once your order arrives to their warehouse, top up your Shipito account for shipping!
You also have the "Special Request" Option that costs $5 if you have a restricted product or sample, request to have it removed. Or if you want that Perfume or Sample, for a higher price they have a shipping option for Fed Ex that accepts dangerous goods.
Another option on this site is the "Assisted Purchase" option where you top up your account with money, enter in the products your wishing to get, they will personally collect those for you & let you know when it arrives. This is the best option to choose if you're worried about your order getting cancelled 

Tips: 
I sometimes use a Forwarding Address for sites that do ship to NZ, but have a hefty shipping charge! E.g I made another Colourpop order last week! I didn't quite have enough money to pay for shipping, so I got it sent via YouShop (giving me free US shipping) & paid the YouShop shipping charge when it arrived to their warehouse this week! 
It actually worked out cheaper that way anyway - $22 NZD vs $20 USD (approx $30 NZD)


Others to check out - 
Comgateway, HopShopGo, MyUS & Private Box
I haven't personally used these but know people who have & recommend also!
I really hope this information helped some people,
I know I was unsure & nervous the first time I tried a Forwarding Service!
Any Questions, just ask & I'll try to help :)

Remember, 
NZ has a $280 (Including Shipping) Maximum spend before customs Tax

LucyLoves! xx


Tuesday, 19 May 2015

YSL Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink

A Foundation Review... 

First impression of the new Yves Saint Laurent Fusion Ink Foundation
"Feels like a Feather, Wears like an Ink"
24 hours of soft-matte perfection & comfort.
Fine-as-ink formula perfects the skin yet wears weightlessly all day.
Never cakey or heavy
Innovative hybrid stain technology provides a lightweight yet high-coverage formula, and its exclusive extendable polymers offer buildable coverage that lasts, for all-day comfort. With broad spectrum SPF 18 sun protection. Available in 21 shades.



Once again, I'll start with the packaging..
I went to the department store Farmers in NZ, it carries most of the luxury high-end beauty brands
 - to collect a 7ml, 7 day sample of Fusion Ink - colour matched to BD20 - Warm Ivory
So, unfortunately I haven't got the full size product to show, but above is a visual on the packaging..
Yves Saint Laurent...Classic Luxurious Gold
A thick glass bottle, black & clear panels to show the colour & amount of product!
Similar to the YSL Glossy Stain packaging, only bigger.. Love!
The gold cap features a dopher applicator to easily swipe zones of the face.
Containing 25ml of product & retailing at $60 usd,
you may consider indulging in this product for a special occasion 
eg. Wedding/Prom, as oppose to everyday wear.
The application & wear of this foundation..
I applied this foundation with a Beauty Blender on my right side
 & a flat top kabuki brush on the other side to test the finishes.
Extremely lightweight when applying & has a watery to velvet texture on the skin. 
Sets quickly & blends easily to a sheer coverage that corrects any discolouration & redness giving you a weightless, natural-looking, full coverage.
 The skin looks so natural with this product, as if you have nothing on, yet will even 
out the tone & correct imperfections.
If you want a Full blanket coverage, this is not the foundation for you..

       BEFORE                                                               AFTER

As you can see with the After shot, my skin looks clear & matte with a velvety finish 
giving some of the natural vibrancy back.
It evened out my skin tone & covered any imperfections, 
while allowing freckles & natural beauty shine through.
My closing opinion:
It's flawless, but I felt as though this foundation was not designed for drier skin types, 
despite the "All skin types" label, it grabbed onto the dry patches I tend to get around my nose & forehead in Winter. Other then that, throughout a 7hr work day, this foundation got better!
My face was still flawless when I got home!
I had a natural, velvety glow with that matte finish to prevent looking oily!
By around 8 hours, it was ready for a quick powder touch up.
The colour was also perfection!
A perfect match to my neck & pale winter skin.
For help with Shades -
My shade = BD20 (Warm Ivory no.20 equal to MAC NC20)

B - (Beige) Ivory with Neutral Undertones
BD - (Beige Dore) Ivory with Yellow or Warm Undertones
BR - (Beige Rose) Ivory with Rosey/Pink Undertones

E.g MAC NW20 = YSL Fusion Ink BR20
MAC NC20 = YSL BD20


BEFORE               (Right Side - Beauty Blender)                 AFTER


BEFORE               (Left Side - Flat Top Kabuki)                AFTER



<--- 7ml/7day Sample
Make sure to ask your local YSL stockist for a sample!
Also found at Sephora, Boots, Nordstrom, YSLbeautyUS.com







LucyLoves! xx