Hello World!

Long time no blogging! I have been super busy with work and just with life at the moment :) I did go on a holiday to Paris and I'll try and post up some photos soon just because I do have a few days off next week and I do want to get back into my blogging routine! I actually still have my list of things that I wanted to do for the blog which I haven't done, bad blogger, bad!

Hope everyone is doing well and having a good lead up to the holidays!

At Last!

Just to update you guys on the house situation, we found a beautiful rental that is pet friendly and we have just moved in! Still buying furniture at the moment so there won't be any home posts going up any time soon, although, normal posts will be going up very soon! I've been trying out an great makeup remover which is affordable but makes my skin feel amazing. If anyone wants to keep updated on what I'm doing, please feel free to follow me on Instagram @phoebelimanta just because that is the one medium I am always, ALWAYS, on :)

Here's a photo of Zeus though, look at how big he's getting!

xox

Quick Update

Hello my lovely ladies! I am still here, I am still alive (barely!) and I promise you all that I will be back! At the moment I'm just busy trying to find a rental home for the hubs and I and it has been super stressful trying to figure out where we should stay and it's also super rare to find a rental that is pet friendly. To top it all off... I have a month to find this magical house so.... go me! As soon as everything calms down, I will be coming back with regular posts as I have actually resigned from MAC as well just because my own business is flourishing, which is kinda good but kinda bad at the same time. I miss you all and I will be back soon! 

x

RAW Beauty Photoshoot

I had the pleasure of working with Ella Dilber and Jeremy Choh last week for a super quick impromptu photoshoot and it resulted in some of the most beautiful photos I've ever done. Ella's face was perfection and as always, Jeremy is amazing :)

Photographer: Jeremy Choh @ JayChoh Photography

Model: Ella Dilber @ Viviens Models

Makeup & Hair: Phoebe Limanta

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MAC Lipsticks - Blankety & Velvet Teddy

MAC Lipsticks AU$36

Since I started working at MAC, I've played around with so many different lipsticks that I would've never tried before. This is how I discovered Blankety & Velvet Teddy! I rarely ever buy products for myself, and will always see whether I need it for my kit or not but these 2, I definitely got for myself.

Blankety is an Amplified texture and it is described as a "Vaguely vacant soft beige pink" and I must say, they are pretty spot on. I absolutely adore the Amplified lipsticks from MAC, the texture is unbelievably soft but pigmented at the same time and they're just so comfortable to wear on the lips. Blankety is probably as nude as I would get for a lipstick. 

Velvet Teddy is a matte shade that I would have never thought would look that nice on me but I found myself putting this lip colour on more and more. This is described as a "Deep-toned beige" and this colour is pretty much like my lip colour but just a bit deeper. As with any of the MAC matte lipsticks, even though it's matte, it's never uncomfortable to wear and never dries out my lips.

(L-R: Blankety & Velvet Teddy)

I am eyeing Vegas Volt, Honeylove and Creme Cup next so don't be surprised if you see those coming up in the not too far future!

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Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rinse Review

Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rinse 200mL AU$90

As you all know, I cleanse like a maniac... like... for reals. I double/triple cleanse every night and it's something that I've come to really enjoy and find very relaxing after a long, hard, day at work. First step of my cleansing routine is taking off my make up and I believe that it is this step that helps keep skin clear. It is unbelievably important to take every last trace of make up off before you go to sleep but at the same time, make sure that you're not stripping your skin's moisture. This is the exact reason why I love cleansing oils and balms. I find that they take off every last bit of make up off my face (even the dreaded Inglot Gel Liner!) and I find that my skin feels so plump and hydrated after. Before I bought this baby, I used the Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil and that was my one and only cleansing oil. Lately though, I have had some issues with  my skin feeling tight after I use it so off I go to find something that's a bit more hydrating and a bit thicker in texture. I used my sister's Clinique Take The Day Off Cleansing Balm and surprisingly loved it which lead me the Bobbi Brown EXTRA Balm Rise. 

What it claims:

"This conditioning cleanser removes all traces of makeup and impurities quickly and completely. Leaves skin with a smooth, cushiony finish, and feeling instantly refreshed. Use daily for dry skin, or as a nighttime treatment when skin needs more hydration. Dermatologist-tested."

Pros:

Huge tub - 200ml 

Very hydrating 

Leaves my skin feeling so plump

Takes off all my waterproof makeup 

Feels really luxurious

Great packaging

Cons:

Heavy pot which isn't travel friendly

VERY thick in texture - a little bit hard to melt in my hand

The scent - this product smells very citrusy and it's not my favourite scent 

Can be a little bit too rich if you don't have dry skin 

Will need to use a muslin cloth or towel to wash it off with

Overall thought: I do like this product.... Would I repurchase? Hmm... probably not but maybe the mre I use it, the more I'll fall in love with it. It is a great product and I definitely feel like I got my money's worth with this huge tub and at the moment, I am still very on the fence with this product. 7/10

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So this was my first attempt at using this product. You'll notice that after the first rinse, I still had a LOT of makeup left, which led me to using a warm, damp cloth to wipe off the second rinse and that totally did the trick! Please note that in the first rinse, I did NOT try to take off my lipstick hence why it was still perfectly intact. 

Before:

After 1st go of this balm:

After 2nd go, this time using the warm, damp, cloth:

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Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting Primer Review

I had such high hopes for this primer, honestly, I did. I've been having a bit of an oilier T-Zone recently so I wanted to pick up this Estee Lauder Matte Perfecting Primer because unlike any of the other matte primers, it doesn't have that silicon-y feel which I'm not too fond of. I asked my dearest hubby to grab me one whilst he stopped over in Singapore for work as it was cheaper and I could NOT wait until he got home so I can finally try it. Dare I say I was more excited for this product coming home to me than my hubby himself? (Yes, I was THAT excited for this) So you can imagine my disappointment when I felt like this product just did not deliver what it promised. It definitely did not keep my T-Zone matte and what's even worse is that I don't think it even helped with the longevity of my foundation, which is totally the whole point of a primer! Needless to say this will be going in my kit because who knows, what may not work for me, may work for someone else and it does feel nice going onto the skin, it just doesn't do the job for me. 

Pros:

• Feels great on the skin as you put it on - none of that silicon feel

Cons:

• Not that cheap if you're not getting the product duty free (I believe the RRP is AUD $48.00)
• Doesn't keep the oils on my face at bay
• Doesn't keep the foundation on my face that much better than usual

Overall thought: Oh Estee Lauder how you disappoint me... As much as I wanted to love this product, I just couldn't. I will probably try to use it again once I feel the need to give it another shot but I have used it for about 2-3 weeks now and I just don't really like it that much to be honest. 2/10

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Photoshoot Time!

 

Photographer: Jeremy Choh @ JayChoh Photography
Hair: Wendy Tran
Model: Lisha Fuller @ Chadwick Models
Assistant: Wilfred Cheung

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Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Review

(I wear the shade #10)

I am about to make the biggest call in the world right now... but I think I have found my HG foundation! I KNOW RIGHT!! I would like to introduce to you guys, the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet! I was really unsure of this foundation just because I heard that it's not that great for dry skin but I decided to give it a try anyway because I've never found a Chanel foundation that I didn't like and honestly, this was no exception. I did find that I didn't need to set this foundation with powder as it set matte and powdery already on my skin but that just means that I finish doing my makeup in less time, who would complain about that? 

Pros:

• Makes the skin look amazingly soft and smooth
• Sets matte so I don't have to add powder
• Smells lovely 
• Perfect colour match for me
• Makes blending my concealer a breeze because it does have such a nice, smooth finish
• Didn't emphasize pores or dry patches
• Wears really nicely throughout the day
• It does have some SPF (I still always use more sunscreen on top because I live in Australia)
• Feels super lightweight and like you're not wearing any foundation at all

Cons:

• Expensive 

Overall thought: As you can see, I couldn't think of anything bad with this foundation other than the price, hence why I think that it is my HG foundation. If you see the photos below, you can see how smooth my skin looks and this is with no photoshopping on my behalf! It just gives such a lovely finish to the skin and I am absolutely OBSESSED with this foundation! (10/10)

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Zeusy Bear!

I can't believe how big this little guy has grown! As cheeky and naughty as he is... I can't imagine my life without him :) He just turned 5 months old so next month this poor boy is getting neutered! Hope you guys enjoyed this update! Sorry it's not a proper post but I just started working at MAC and still doing freelancing so it's been super duper busy! Normal posts will be resuming ASAP :)

x

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick Review

Man on man do I love these little babies! These are the new (relatively) Bourjois lip product that applies a bit glossy but then dries down to the most beautiful matte velvet finish. I bought this when I went shopping with one of my best friends who is obsessed with dark reds at the moment, just like me! I think it has something to do with the weather... but boy weren't we glad to walk into Priceline that day.

What they claims:

"Its soft, melting texture glides on to the lips and turns into a matt, velvety and incredibly light colour. Lips are left smooth and soft as velvet. Enriched with evanescent oils, it’s incredibly sensuous formula provides a soft, second-skin feel, without drying or fading lips."

Pros:

• Affordable (if you can get it like I did when Priceline had their special and it was only $10 for 1)
• Long lasting and wears beautifully
• Very comfortable to wear, not drying at all 
• Gorgeous vibrant pigmentation 
• Easy to work with and apply
  

Cons:

•  If it's not on special, it is quite pricey in Australia (like every other makeup products) 
• Not a great range of colours, it is mostly reds
• I personally don't like the scent
  

 Overall thought: I absolutely adore these! I just wish that they came in a wider range of colours because all the shades were very bright and none that were just a bit paired down so I could use it daily. Great for people who wants to wear reds everyday though because I swear all the colours were just varying shades of reds. I would definitely repurchase these if I run our or if Bourjois came out with more colours. 10/10

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This is the stain that is left on the lips after you wipe off the product:

  

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You can see below that even though they apply kind of glossy before, they do dry down to a beautiful matte velvet finish.

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Rough Guide To Circle Lenses

***Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. I bought these contact lenses myself. Please don't take my word on circle lenses for gospel, I am not a professional in this field and my eyes will be different to everyone's eyes so please wear them at your own risk.***

This post is for my lovely and beautiful Lisa from COCOBELLA BALLERINA who requested a post about my circle lenses! Here you are darling, I hope you find it helpful :)

I've been wearing circle lenses for about 3-4 years now and I must say that I can not live without them. I actually feel really strange without them and I don't think I look as nice without them, sadly enough! When I first started wearing contact lenses I ordered from www.pinkyparadise.com but after 6 months or so, I found a better website, a website that I still order from to this day. That website is www.honeycolor.com! The great thing about Honey Color is that they do free express shipping all over the world if your order is more than $99. Considering when I order, I order 4-5 at a time, that's perfect for me and frankly, I'm always surprised at how quickly it gets to me (within a few days). Another great thing is that Honey Color has the best prices I've seen on circle lenses and they offer those cooling eye drops which I adoreeeee!

For those of you who don't know what circle lenses are, they are contact lenses which you can get plano (no prescription) or with prescription that are bigger than the size of your actual iris, making your eyes appear more doll like. They come in various different sizes from a slight enlargement (14mm) to larger enlargements (15mm and up). They also come in hundreds of different styles, my favourites are the ones that have the darker limbal ring (darker edges) because to me, they look the most "natural" (please... who am I kidding!).

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As with anything, there are risks involved in wearing circle lenses such as:

• Okay... Let me start with the biggest one, I'm not trying to scare you but if you get a defective pair of lenses, it can cause blindness or permanently damage your eyes. This is why it's so important to get your contact lenses from a reputable and trustworth seller and hence my disclaimer up top. 
• For my Americans out there, it is not FDA regulated
•  Abrasions or scratches to the cornea
• Decreased oxygen to the eyes because the contact lens is not only covering your iris but also the white parts of your eyes
• Because you're not getting them from an optometrist, it is not fitted specifically to your eyes, this is why it can cause not only discomfort but can also damage your eye

 Because of these risks please always ensure that:

• Get your lenses from a reputable seller
• Soak your contact lenses in contact lens solution for a full 24 hour before putting them into your eyes
• Wash your hands before you touch the lenses (I mean.. duh!)
• Check the water content of the contact lenses, as a general rule for me, the more water content it has, the more comfortable they are for me
• Don't wear it for more than 8 hours at a time and if it's your first time, try wearing it a few hours at a time and build up the time 
• Change your contact lens case every 3 months 
• Most circle lenses say they last for a year but if you wear them every day like I do, I change it up every 6 months or so just to be safe
• If you feel any sort of discomfort/light sensitivity/blurred vision/redness that doesn't dissipate within a minute or two, TAKE THEM OUT STRAIGHT AWAY! You  may have gotten a defective pair. What I do is, soak them in a fresh batch of contact solution for another 24 hour and then try them on again, if they are still uncomfortable, they are definitely either defective or just doesn't fit your eye correctly so please don't wear them again
• Make sure you put them in the right way

YAY! 

 

 NAY! You can see that the edges of the contact lenses sort of flare out, that's when you know you gots to turn that baby over.

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As I mentioned before, I do order 4-5 at a time so these are my current 4 pairs that I'm wearing at the moment.

EOS Ice Brown

EOS Max Pure Brown

Maxiy Barbie Brown

Dueba Big DM23 Brown

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I hope that was helpful for some people! I really don't mean to scare anyone but they are the facts and I know the risks when I wear my contact lenses. I have been very very lucky that my eyes aren't particularly sensitive to anything so I've never really had a problem with wearing them but please please please be careful! You only have one pair of eyes so please take care of them and if you ever feel unsure about a product, just don't wear it and contact the seller. Enjoy ladies (and maybe gents..)!