LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar 2019 FULL SPOILERS AND CONTENTS

LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar 2019 FULL SPOILERS AND CONTENTS

Makeup Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, August 15, 2019

It is Advent Calendar season again - my favourite time of the year, and when you'll see my dour expression replaced by excitement and animation.
Over the coming weekend, I will have full spoilers and contents of more than 40 beauty advent calendars up for you, both here as well as on my YouTube channel. But because this one is always a sell-out, and because it was my own first-ever beauty advent calendar (I haven't missed one in four whole years), I thought I'd tell you about the LookFantastic Beauty Advent Calendar for 2019 rightaway.
Like last year (see here), the price is £79. Like last year, there are 25 products. However, the worth of the contents inside is £420! It was only 300 last year.
Unlike last year, the packaging is a gorgeous navy blue and gold. Stop it and tell us what's inside, you say? Coming right up.

Scroll down for the FULL SPOILERS AND CONTENTS of the LOOKFANTASTIC BEAUTY ADVENT CALENDAR 2019.

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ROSE SECRET BOX: KOREAN MYSTERY BEAUTY BOX UNBOXING

ROSE SECRET BOX: KOREAN MYSTERY BEAUTY BOX UNBOXING

Unboxing Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, July 25, 2019

I've got over men alright, but there's one thing I haven't ever got over - the Memebox. Remember it, anyone? Korean beauty box that shipped worldwide? Best beauty box EVER? Came JAM-PACKED with beauty products, all full-sized, and in myriad themes and variants, from Superfood, Wine and Cheese, and Chocolate, to weird ingredients, colour- and scent-themed boxes, and regular monthly boxes. New here, and don't believe a WORD I say? Go here rightaway to check out ALL my Memebox unboxings. I bought more than 50 (60?) of the things in a span of about a year and a half.
The problem is that Memebox RUINED all other beauty boxes for me. I am no longer satisfied with half-baked samples. Don't give me random scrubs. Or pencil liners. Or old shite that won't sell, and you want to shill. Or anything that's not thoughtfully curated, but is haphazardly thrown in a box.
Rose Rose Shop, a Korean beauty retailer who ships worldwide, used to do sampler boxes. But the samples were small, and you also got things like fashion earrings, which I did not want. I did buy the one sampler - see here for my unboxing. Then, they stopped those.
Recently, RRS has been doing Mystery Boxes! This is their second season of doing these - I missed out on the first box. They promise at LEAST seven full-sized products, WITHOUT counting sheet masks. That was a deal-clencher for me. For $35, including FREE worldwide shipping, that's just about $5 per product! Plus, you also get samples and other things.
I ordered mine immediately, and was pleased to find that I got EIGHT full-sized products, including three makeup. In addition to those, I also got a bunch of samples, and four sheet masks. To know exactly what I received, go straight down!

Scroll down for the contents, review, and unboxing of the Rose Secret Box Season 2, a Korean mystery beauty box that ships worldwide.

Nothing to disclose

GUCCI Rouge a Levres Satin LIPSTICKS 2019 Review, Swatches: PART I BOLDS

GUCCI Rouge a Levres Satin LIPSTICKS 2019 Review, Swatches: PART I BOLDS

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Friday, July 19, 2019

Remember Gucci Beauty? They launched back in 2014, with Pat McGrath as one of the creative directors, but the range faded into oblivion in 2016.
They've relaunched now, with a spankin' range of 58 lipsticks in three finishes, for Summer 2019! The range is inspired by Old Hollywood and art and antiques - a passion of current creative director Alessandro Michele (shared by yours truly). This shows in the naming of the lipsticks, as well as the packaging.
Since I've been having a rough time lately, with allergy issues for myself and health issues for my family as well, I decided to treat myself to some of these (as well as a couple of other luxury lipsticks - see here for another recent lipstick haul - I tell you, there is NOTHING like a luxe lippie to cheer you up). Unfortunately, the more muted shades were out of stock when I placed my order, so I picked some of the bolder and brighter shades. I held off on the review, hoping the subtler shades would be back in stock soon. I then lost patience, and went ahead with the review, only to find that all the shades were back in stock! I have some dusty roses on their way to me - I will be adding the swatches of those to this very same post, so do bookmark it and check back in a couple of weeks' time!
For now, I have some of the bolder, fuchsia shades to show you, though I'll definitely tell you what shade numbers contain what colour families, and how to choose the shade you want.

UPDATE: I HAVE RECEIVED MORE NEUTRAL COLOURS - SWATCHES ADDED BELOW. 

Scroll down for my review and swatches of the Gucci Rouge a Levres Satin Lipsticks for Summer 2019.

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Estee Lauder Pure Color DESIRE ROUGE EXCESS LIPSTICKS Review, Swatches

Estee Lauder Pure Color DESIRE ROUGE EXCESS LIPSTICKS Review, Swatches

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, July 18, 2019

For me, the biggest problem with the Estee Lauder Pure Color Desire Rouge Excess Lipsticks is that name. WHY Pure Color? Why not start a whole new range instead of adding length - and confusing - to a handle?
I'll explain.
First, we had the Estee Lauder Pure Color lipsticks. Then came the Pure Color ENVY Sculpting lipsticks (reviewed here) - regular first, followed by a matte range. Then, we had the Pure Color LOVE Lipsticks (reviewed here). Liquid lipsticks followed (all reviewed here) - Pure Color Love Liquid lip colours, and Pure Color PAINT-ON Liquid Lipsticks. ARGH! Stop already! Can't they remove the "Pure Color" suffix at least now? Why is it on every darn lipstick launch ever? Surely Estee Lauder Desire Rouge Excess is enough without tacking on Pure Color in there?
Enough ranting about the name. Let's talk about the lipsticks themselves. These come in stunning packaging, possibly the best we've seen from Estee Lauder. Very heavy metal. All gold. Satisfying click. Incidentally, these are the lipsticks that are supposed to have the highest percentage of pigment in any Estee Lauder lipstick so far.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Estee Lauder Pure Color Desire Rouge Excess Lipsticks.

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ABH x Alyssa Edwards Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches: On Deep Set Eyes, Tan Skin

ABH x Alyssa Edwards Eyeshadow Palette Review, Swatches: On Deep Set Eyes, Tan Skin

Swatches Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, July 11, 2019

After Modern Renaissance - reviewed here - no Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette wowed me enough to make me buy it. Not Subculture, not Prism, not Soft Glam, not Norvina, nor Riviera.
Until the Alyssa Edwards palette.
Let me confess - I wasn't familiar with RuPaul's Drag Race until recently. And, when I first heard about this collab, I expected the shades to be even brighter than Riviera. This was, after all, a Summer palette. I expected neons. Electric hues.
But when I saw the colours, I was pleasantly surprised. Apart from a bright yellow, the rest weren't scary at all! Okay, there is a PURE white in there, but I can live with it (or even ignore it). The rest? Wearable. Fun to play with. Easy to subdue.
I call it my favourite non-drugstore palette of 2019 SO FAR. Why? You'll find out.

Scroll down for the review, swatches, and demo of the Anastasia Beverly Hills x Alyssa Edwards eyeshadow palette, and multiple looks on deep-set eyes.

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How To CONTOUR With Huda TANTOUR, On Oily, Textured, Tan Skin

How To CONTOUR With Huda TANTOUR, On Oily, Textured, Tan Skin

Tutorials Cosmetopia Digest   Monday, July 08, 2019

When Huda Beauty's Tantour Contour and Bronzer Cream launched, I barely gave it a second thought. First of all, I wasn't huge on contouring. Finicky business that, particularly when you're in a hurry. Who has the time to blend all that stuff seamlessly? Secondly, I have MAD texture - pitted acne scars - to which everything from blush and bronzer to highlighter tend to draw attention. Thirdly, ugh - a cream product, in a jar, no less! Ain't no one got the time for cream products. Not on my oily skin! Finally, the colours - NO WAY was something that looked like that coming within a mile of me.
Then, I watched this video review and demo, by Shahleena, one of the (few) Beauty YouTubers I watch and trust. And then, I knew I wanted to try it.
FIRST use in, I was hooked. These days, it is my one-stop cheek product. I skive off on everything else - blush and highlighter - but not this one. It even helps thin down my fat cheeks and double chin (thanks to steroids - more on that another time). But I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Scroll down for a review, swatches, and tutorial of Huda Beauty's Tantour Contour And Bronzer Cream, which makes contouring a breeze even on OILY, textured skin.

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Summer 2019 Full-Sized Revolution Beauty Makeup Giveaway Open Worldwide

Summer 2019 Full-Sized Revolution Beauty Makeup Giveaway Open Worldwide

Summer Cosmetopia Digest   Saturday, June 22, 2019

As promised, here's my Summer 2019 makeup giveaway, and this one is the biggest so far this year, because there are two whole eyeshadow palettes! This one is the entire contents of the Revolution Beauty - formerly Makeup Revolution - Spring Gift Bag.
You probably know that I have a few medical and family issues going on at the moment, with my Dad and Gramps both scheduled for surgeries, in addition to my being accidentally exposed to wheat ALL the darn time and landing in the ER, and now I have Cushing Syndrome and bad acne as a result of all the steroids (which you will see further below). So this giveaway will run a little longer than usual - until August 31 - in order to give me time to tide over all the crises.

Scroll down to enter the Summer 2019 Full-Sized Revolution Beauty Makeup Giveaway. 

Spring 2019 Makeup Giveaway RESULTS

Spring 2019 Makeup Giveaway RESULTS

Giveaway Cosmetopia Digest   Thursday, June 20, 2019

So I'm about 10 days behind with the results of the Spring Makeup Giveaway... for starters, my Dad had a medical emergency - sudden onset of hernia - and is due for surgery on the 27th. He's already recovering from an odontoid fracture in the brain, so they cannot give him general anaesthesia. Then, my Gramps - whose knee replacement surgery has been postponed to July - decided to scare everyone further when he ruptured a blood vessel inside his eye, which was caused by high blood pressure. The bleeding has been stopped, and the offending blood vessel repaired. As if all this wasn't enough, I ended up in the ER with swallowing difficulty, a swollen neck, and bad itching - severe allergic reaction - on Tuesday, which necessitated more steroid and epinephrine shots. I've gained 5kg, and look a proper sight now. Actually, DON'T watch any of my recent YouTube videos, my quadruple-chin and acne will scare you out of ten years' growth.
There's only one way I can make it up to you lot for the delay - have a TWO-PALETTE giveaway next, which should commence over this weekend, so do stay tuned for that.
But before that, the results of the Spring Giveaway. Drumroll...