The Dixie Diaries: February 2014

Sigma Warm Neutrals Palette - Review & Swatches

Wednesday, 26 February 2014

I debated whether or not to get this palette as I have so many amazing neutral palettes including Naked 1, 2 and 3 but I caved after a few weeks of drooling at it online.

One of the things that convinced me was the price. You get 12 amazing colours for $39 USD and compared to the Naked palettes that's a great deal. Because I am in Australia the Naked palettes cost around $80 to purchase.

The palette is a great size so I've been favouring this above any other palettes as it fits in my bag easily and isn't bulky at all.

The palette has a white slip cover to protect it. The palette itself is a matte black with the holographic Sigma logo on the front.

The colours are beautiful. You have a mixture of shimmers and mattes and you have enough amazing colours to do many looks from a no makeup makeup look to a gorgeous smokey eye.

The pigmentation with most of the colours is amazing and just a couple are a little pale. Overall the colours are great.

Love the colours and the price is excellent. I highly recommend this palette.

You can purchase the Sigma Warm Neutrals Palette from www.sigmabeauty.com

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A Guide to Purchasing Beauty Products on eBay

Tuesday, 25 February 2014

Hey everyone.

I've done this blog post to show you some of the products I have purchased on eBay and provided a guide to help if you are considering purchasing beauty products online.

I've been buying on eBay for 10 years and I've only ever purchased three items that turned out to be fake. One of the reasons I buy from eBay is because some of the beauty products I am interested in simply are not available in Australia and this is one of my purchasing options. If you are sensible, do your research, check out prices and feedback, you will be happy with your purchases.

Three sellers I highly recommend are:

http://stores.ebay.com.au/spoposhop/

This seller is absolutely lovely. They go out of their way to help me every time I purchase from them.

They stock EOS lip balms (LOVE), Urban Decay, makeup brushes, great false eyelashes, Real Techniques brushes, Too Faced, NARS, Origins amongst many other amazing authentic products.

I highly recommend this seller and I have been buying from them for a long time.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/stvabeauty/

This seller is an authorized retailer of Sigma products, they have a great range of NYX products, eyelashes, OPI and other great buys.

Really great seller, super quick to post the items and generally a great experience shopping with them.

http://stores.ebay.com.au/iluvidbareescentualsmaccharms/

This seller has a huge variety of products in her store, amongst the items are MAC, Sigma, Clinique, NYX, OPI, Lime Crime and many more amazing products. She has a really high positive feedback and the quality of the products is amazing.

I've been buying from this store for a long time and I am very happy with them.

These are some of the things to look for when purchasing from eBay.

Know your prices. Generally good quality authentic products won't come cheap. If it's too cheap it's usually damaged, fake or used.

Check that the seller has sold a high number of items. New sellers can sometimes be unreliable.

Check the seller's feedback. Make sure they have a high percentage of positive feedback. I usually won't touch a seller unless they have 99.3% or above of positive feedback.

Check the seller's negative and neutral feedback. If there is mention of fake products then steer clear.

When checking negative and neutral feedback, look at the sellers' response to this. If the seller is rude or aggressive, again I would steer clear. Usually more trouble than they are worth.

If you purchase something that you suspect is fake you can usually take the product to a physical store and ask them to authenticate it for you. Most stores are more than happy to do this.

ALWAYS pay using Paypal. You are protected if you use Paypal. Sellers have to offer this option. If they don't then don't buy.

If you do receive a fake product then email the seller and let them know. Most times they will ask you to send the product back (at your cost via registered mail) and they will then offer a refund. If they refuse to refund or say the product is authentic then you can lodge a dispute via Paypal. You will then most likely have to return the product via registered mail (at your cost) and provide proof to Paypal. Once you have done this you will then, in most situations, be offered a refund.

I hope this information has helped you and please, if you have any questions, leave me comments in the description bar and I will do my best to answer them for you.
Dixie Girl xox
(Kate)

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* Winner Announcement * Philips VisaPure Facial Cleansing Brush Giveaway * Winner Announcement *

Sunday, 16 February 2014

Hey everyone,

Thanks for being so patient with me.

I've done a short YouTube video just letting everyone know that my review is coming. The reason for me being late with it is firstly because I stupidly deleted some of my photos that I'd taken of my face during my review process. AND I used a facial product a few weeks ago and developed a severe allergic reaction that left me looking blotchy, red and really sore.

I will have the review up on my YouTube channel really soon!

Today I have put all the names into a draw and the winner of the Philips VisaPure Facial Cleanser giveaway is.......

Nelly Neelab Hussein of Victoria.

Congratulations Nelly.

Please send me a message with your address and I will post your Philips VisaPure to you :-)

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Tanya Burr Lipgloss Review and Swatches

Thursday, 13 February 2014

I've been waiting to get my hands on these little beauties for a couple of months now.

I first heard of them on Tanya Burr's YouTube channel when she was talking about them and I've been excited to try them ever since.

For me to like a lip gloss it needs to NOT be sticky and to be long lasting. These lip glosses to me are pretty much perfect.

The pigmentation is amazing and they glide on the lips and feel amazing. I ordered three to start off with just to give them a try and although I've only had them a few days I am so impressed already.

There are a mixture of crème and shimmer finishes and I bought two crème and one shimmer.

The colours range from light pinks, through to lilacs and all the way through to dark reds. There are 12 colours in the collection and they retail for approximately $12.95 depending on the exchange rate.

The packaging is really lovely. Sleek and stylish and I love that you can see exactly what colour you are getting without having to open the gloss. The applicator is very user friendly also. Much nicer than some of the brushes I have in other glosses.

The glosses have a lovely fruity scent that's nice but not overpowering. Tanya came up with all the names of the glosses herself by naming them after some of her favourite things.

I should also mention that there is also a Tanya Burr Nail Polish range that consists of 10 amazing colours, again named after some of Tanya's favourite things and the colour range is beautiful.

Below are the glosses I ordered:

First Date

A beautiful crème baby pink which is really pigmented and looks amazing if you have a great tan. I don't normally wear a colour this light but being summer here in Oz I thought I'd give it a go and I love it.

Aurora

Aurora is a sheer shimmery pinkish nude with a slight hint of sparkle through it. Looks lovely on its own or amazing over a nude lipstick.

Vampire Kiss

Vampire Kiss is by far my favourite (and I never wear red). It's one of the most amazing reds I've ever seen. The pigment is amazing and it's such a vibrant red. I was really really impressed.

The quality of these glosses rivals any high end glosses I've tried. I would be ordering these before any other brand I wear. Tanya Burr has done an amazing job with her colour choices, names and packaging and I look forward to her expanding her makeup range.