Wednesday 30 November 2011

November Purchases & Pans

Hello Beautyloverrs!

I hope you're having a wonderful day! I had to make this a separate video because my November Faves & Fails video was getting to be way to long. I showed most of the products I purchased this month in haul videos so I just mentioned the candles that I picked up at the new Ikea in Tempe, Sydney. I also had a lot of products that I finished, mostly skincare as I was just lathering my skin in moisturiser to keep it hydrated and calm ... -sigh-

hope you enjoy ;)



Products Used:
See November Faves & Fails post

xox

Tuesday 29 November 2011

November Faves & Fails


Hello Beautyloverrs!

I hope you are all doing awesomely. It is December, which means almost Christmas time! I just want to share with you some of my favourite products for the month of November. I sincerely apologise for there not being any makeup. I feel stupid saying that considering this is a blog about makeup .. but I truly only realised after filming the video. Two reasons for that is .. I have been working six days a week so I haven't really had any time to experiment and really try and love new products. If you want to know what I love for everyday in terms of staple makeup, you can check out my 5 Mins Challenge, which is basically my everyday fuss-free, no-brainer foundation routine. Secondly, my skin has been freaking out due to the sudden changes in weather so I have been employing some skincare items to keep in calm and somewhat under control, which means again, I've been sticking to my staple makeup to ensure that I don't irritate it more than I have to.

hope you enjoy xox



what's on my face?
| Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse
& | Sigma Angled Top Kabuki F84 buy
NYX Concealer In A Jar in 04 Beige
Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in 003 Light/Medium
L'oreal Infallible Powder SPF 20 in 662 Natural Buff 
& | Sigma Tapered Face F25 buy
Estee Lauder Double wear Stay-In-Place ShadowCreme in 18 Pink Gold
| Hard Candy Kal-eye-descope Baked Eyeshadow Duo in 064 High Maintenance
| Crush Cosmetics Gel Eyeliner in Raven
| false lashes
| NYC Bronzer in Sunny
| NYX Blush in 06 Peach
| NYX Mosaic Powder in 01 Highligher
| ModelCo Satin Lip Couture Lipstick in Abbey (blotted)

Monday 28 November 2011

NOTD & FOTD: Work Appropriate

hello beautyloverrs!

I hope you're all doing well!

 NOTD: Revlon Peach Petal



FOTD: Work

Products Used
| Za True White Day Protector SPF 26
| Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Fundation in 5.5
& | Sigma Angled Top Kabuki F84
& | MAC Fix+
| NYX Concealer In A Jar in 04 Beige
| Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in 003 Light/Medium
| Dior Diorskin Nude Natural Glow Fresh Powder Makeup in 020
& | Sigma Tapered Face F25
| Urban Decay Primer Potion
| Clinique Colour Surge Eyeshadow Duo in Like Mink
& | medium flat shader
& | Sigma Small Tapered Blending E45
| Crush Cosmetics Eye Liner in Black
& | tiny concealer brush (small, flat, stiff, oval)
| Maybelline The Falsies Mascara in Very Black
| Revlon Grow Luscious in 001 Blackest Black
| Clinique Bottom Lash in 01 Black
| NYC Bronzer in Sunny
& | Ihana angled blush brush
| Maybelline Blush in 20 Pink O' Pink
& | Ihana blush brush
| NYX Mosaic Powder in 01 Highligher
& | small powder brush
| Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint in Nude

xox have a great day! :)

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Makeup Storage

Hello beautyloverrs!

I hope you're all doing well. I recently went to the new Ikea that opened up in Tempe, Sydney which is super close to my house and picked up some drawers to organise my makeup. My storage system is not fancy at all! It basically just keeps all my makeup compact and in one place but still accessible (at arms length) and easy to find or view what products I have. The storage featured in the video, and those similar, can be purchased from:
| Ikea
| Hot Dollar (or your local dollar store)
| Kmart
| Big W
| Target
| Officeworks



I say it's a makeup collection video as well but it's really not. You do see my collection just because I'm showing you how they are organised but I don't go through everything. If you want to see an actual makeup collection video, or part of the collection just let me know, otherwise I'm not going to do one simply because it's nothing to go crazy about...although I do love watching makeup collection videos lol.

xox have a great day!

Tuesday 22 November 2011

Haul | Revlon Warehouse Sale

Hello beautyloverrrs!

I hope you're all doing well :) I went to the annual Revlon warehouse sale over the weekend. I tweeted about this and mentioned it in my last video. It took place in Homebush which is in Sydney. It was actually quite a good sale. Great for stocking up on items and Christmas stocking fillers. I just did a video showing you what I purchased and what was available. I hope you enjoyed. If you have any questions or comments of course let me know!



What I'm wearing:
| Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30+ for normal to oily skin
| Maybelline Deam Matte Mouse in Classic Ivory Light 2
& | Sigma Angled Top Kabuki F84 with MAC Fix+
| NYX Concealer in a Jar in 04 Beige
& | Ihana Blending brush (to buff concealer)
| Revlon PhotoReady Concealer in 003 Light Medium
| Physicians Formula 100% Natural Origin Pressed Powder in Translucent Light Organics
& | Sigma Tapered Face F25
NYC sunny bronzer
& | medium powder brush
| Revlon ColourStay Mineral Blush in 030 Roseberry 
& | Ihana small powder brush
| Revlon ColourStay Mineral Eye Shadow Trio in 03 Midnight Garnet
& | small flat shadow brush (lid)
& | Sigma Small Tapered Blending E45 (crease)
& | Sigma Short Shader E20 with MAC Fix+ (eyeliner effect)
| CD Holiday Collection Makeup Palette for the Eyes in 801 Warm Harmony
& | Ihana angled shadow brush (highlight)
| False lashes


Products Mentioned (Pt. 1)
Revlon Nail Enamel 
| 115 Peach Petal 
| 008 Powder Puff (matte suede) 
| 933 Emerald City (Matte suede)
| 001 Sheer Sugar (sheer translus
| 762 Plum Attraction
| 902 Cracing Coral
| 440 Siren
| 229 Demure
| 507 Fire Fox (matte suede) 
Revlon Matte Eyeshadow
002 Peach Sorbet
| 005 Venetian Blue
| 006 Tempting Teal
| 007 Riveira Blue
| 008 Aubergine
Revlon ColourStay Mineral Eye Shadow Trio
| 03 Mignight Garnet
| 04 Smoky Quartz
Almay Intense i-colour
| 032 trio for blue
| 022 trio for blue
Revlon ColourStay Mineral Blush
| 030 Roseberry
| 020 Petal

(Pt. 2)
| Revlon Age Defying SPF 25 in Light Medium
| Revlon Age Defying Concealer in Light Medium
| Revlon Grow Luscious in 001 Blackest Black
| Almay One Coat Dial Up in 030 Black Brown
| Revlon Double Twist (Waterproof) in 723 Blackened Brown
Revlon Beyond Natural Protective Liptint SPF 15
| 030 Rose
| 040 Nude
| 060 Berry
Revlon Beyond Natural Creme Lipgloss
| Deep Spice
| Berry
| Pink
Revlon Super Lustrous Liptick
| 013 Smoked Peach (matte)
| 225 Rosewine (creme)
| 453 Pinkerbelle (pearl)
Revlon Creme de la Chrome
| 370 Racy Ruby
| 380 Razzle Dazzle
Revlon Super Lustrous Plumping Lipgloss in 01 Ruby Pout
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in 080 Cherries in the Glow
Revlon Creme Gloss
| 025 Patent Leather Pink
| 015 Play Up Pink
| 040 Sassy Mauve
| 055 Hot Tamale


xox have a great day!

Sunday 20 November 2011

November Bellabox 2011

Hello Beautyloverrs!

I finally received my first Bellabox! I'd been hearing a lot of negative feedback about this month's Bellabox so I opened it without high expectations in mind which is disappointing considering it was my first box from them. Feelings were mixed. Although the box wasn't completely horrible, it could have been better and I personally think this month's was not worth the $15. I will be cancelling my subscription (for now at least) and trying out Ilovethisbox. To see what I received and my thoughts, please watch the video :)

If you're not familiar with Bellabox. It's basically a monthly subscription where you receive 5 'deluxe' samples of makeup, skincare, fragrances etc. It costs $15 a month including shipping and it available only in Australia. This concept (to my knowledge) was first initiated in the States such as Birchbox and the Beauty Test tube. From there many other countries have developed their own versions. Bellabox is one of amongst four similar subscription services, that I know of (LustHaveIt, ILoveThisBox, GlossyBox). I hope that helped a little bit.

xox have a great day!


Thursday 17 November 2011

NOTD & OOTD & FOTD

Hello beautyloverrs!

Just a quick Nail of the Day and Outfit of the Day and impromptu Face of the Day! I just took some photos and didn't think they would turn out good :) .. but they turned out okay! (except I forgot what products I used so that didn't help :(

| Cutex 2 in 1 Base Coat
| Revlon Minted
| Sally Hansen Insta-Dry








 xox have a great day!

Wednesday 16 November 2011

5 Minute Challenge

Hello beautyloverrs!

Everyday I undertake this 5 minutes challenge! Basically the original idea was to see how much makeup you could do in 5 minutes, but for me, this is almost my daily makeup routine (but sometimes I only have 3 minutes!) Hope you enjoy. All the products used are shown and listed below.




| Skin79 Dream Girls BB Beblesh Balm SPF30 PA++
& | Lancome Blush Brush (as foundation brush, less dense than )
Maybelline Dream Mousse Concealer in ivory light 2-3.5
& | Ihava Blending brush (to buff concealer)
| Revlon photoready concealer in 003 light medium
| Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
& | Sportsgirl Bronzer Brush (as powder brush)
Estee Lauder Double wear Stay-In-Place ShadowCreme in 18 Pink Gold
| Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eyeliner Pencil in Brown
| Clinique High Lengths Mascara in Black
& | Shu Uemura eyelash curler
| Rimmel Natural Bronzer SPF8 in 022 Sun Bronze
& | Random medium powder brush
NYX Black Label Lipstick in 168 Off the Beaten Path

xox have a great day !

Sunday 13 November 2011

Haul: Lancome Beauty Box & Australis

Hello Beautyloverrs!

I picked up the Lancome Beauty Box recently. It's a holiday collection they come out with every year around Christmas time. You can purchase it for $99 with a fragrance purchase. I show you everything that's inside in the video and it is limited edition so if you like what you see you should pick it up soon!

I also picked up some Australis products; the Face-A-Holic which I already did a review/comparison on and also some nail polishes. Hope you enjoy.




xox

Thursday 10 November 2011

lust have it: November (my first box!)

Hello beautyloverrs!

I picked up my first ever lust have it box today from the post office! Initial reaction ... the box is kind of small and light. I don't know why I was expecting a massive heavy thing but that was just my first reaction.. (it might have something to do with the fact that I always over-order when buy online hence the expectation of massive parcels!) But I powerwalked home and opened the box and I actually quite like what I found inside.




Inside I found,
  • a card
  • RoC Complete Lift NEW Technology Daily Moisturiser 5mL x 3 (RRP $59 50mL)
  • Nude by Nature Lip Liner in Chique Natural Mineral Lipliner (RRP$14.95)
  • Lancome Tresor Midnight Rose 1.5mL x 2 (RRP $79 30mL)
  • Hawley International Miracle Shine 2 Step Miracle Nail Shiner (RRP $6.95)
  • Kerastase Nectar Thermique 10mL x 5 (RRP $39.50 150mL)
The packaging seems quite reasonable with bits of shredded paper for cushioning. I just bought Lancome's Tresor Midnight Rose for my mum (which you'll see in the haul that's uploading) so I know she'll like that. I do like it too, it's just not my fragrance of choice. I actually need a day moisturiser so definitely keen on trying the RoC one. I've been interested in their brand for a while now too. I have been also been interested in the Kerastase brand for a while now too but their stuff always seemed so expensive. The samples would be great to try out as well as to bring with me while I'm travelling. As for the lipliner, I've been meaning to try lipliners and a nude one is a great way to start. Finally the nail buffer. I have never heard of this brand before but shiny nails never hurt :)

That's my thoughts on this month's lust have it box. Overall I am quite pleased with what I found inside and can't wait for next month's!

xox


Sunday 6 November 2011

Sculpture By the Sea: Tamarama to Bondi

Hello beautyloverrs!

This post is a little bit off-topic but I had to share! It is an annual exhibition of sculptures which can be seen along the coastal walk between Tamarama and Bondi beach. I went to see it yesterday and it was the best weather Sydney has ever offered! Here are some of my favourites :)
















xox

Friday 4 November 2011

Showdown: Australis Face-A-Holic VS Sephora Sculpting Disk

Hello Beautyloverrs :)

Showdown posts are when I compare two products which I believe look similar and claim to do similar things. The two products in the beauty rink today are Australis Face-A-Holic and Sephora's Sculpting Disk. The Face-A-Holic is a new product from Australis which I just had to get as soon as I saw it to do this showdown. So let's see how they compare! (If there is anything that I forgot to mention please leave me a comment. Of course if you have any questions, suggestions or requests also contact me by leaving a comment or email, available on the sidebar. Thank you!)



 Who, what, where, how much?

| Australis Face-A-Holic AUD$19.95 45g net
- Big W - Kmart - Priceline - Target
- Made in Taiwan
- Blush in Rosy Cheeks - Pressed Powder in Deep Natural - Bronzer in Sunkissed

| Sephora Sculpting Disk USD$24 + tax 22g net
- Sephora - Sephora online
- Made in Italy
- Blush Bronzer B01 - Mattifying Powder D20 - Highlighting Powder I20

Review

Blush/Highlight | Australis Face-A-Holic is actually much smoother in texture than the Sephora Sculpting Disk. This may be due to the fact that the products are somewhat matte. The blush is a light pink and has a tiny amount of shimmer in it however you don't feel the particle nor are they noticeable on the skin. The equivalent product in the Sephora Sculpting Disk is the highlight which is loaded with shimmer and gives a nice glow to the cheekbones. Although it looks like a shimmering light pink in the pan, on the skin the pink blends out; similar in concept to Benefit's High Beam.

Powder | Both powders claim to be mattifying pressed powders. The powder in Face-A-Holic is extremely sheer to the point where it does not show up on my skin, so I would say it is more of a transluscent powder. Again it feels very nice and smooth and acts as a great touch up powder as it doesn't look caking on the skin, especially if you have makeup on already. It blends nicely into the skin to mattify. The Sculpting Disk powder is more pigmented (as you'll see from the .. not-so-great swatch below). It's also quite light so I won't recommend this for medium to dark skintones. It feels smooth but not as smooth as the Face-A-Holic. It does a great job at mattifying but can look a little bit powdery if too much is applied. So in comparison, this is more like a light coverage mattifying pressed powder as opposed to a transclucent mattifying pressed powder.

Bronzer | The Face-A-Holic Bronzer is the most shimmery of the three and is a medium-deep bronzy gold shade. It actually looks great as an crease eyeshadow as well for a summer inspired bronze eye look. It's quite shimmery so it might not be the best as a straight-up defining contour bronzer. Rather, this can be popped into the hollows of the cheeks and blended out above into the temples and below into the jawline just to give both depth and colour to the face. Due to the warmth of the shade it would be suitable for most skintones and should not look orange or dirty. Sephora's bronzer is much lighter and less shimmery which could act as a perfect contouring shade for fair to light skintones. Just be cautious as using too much can look a little bit orange on the skin. It can be applied under the cheeks, jawline as well as your temples. Make sure you blend well to erase hard edges between the contour shade and your skin. Texture is again not as smooth as the Face-A-Holic although there is less shimmer.

Misc |
- Pigmentation is fairly light for all powders so they are easy to work with and great for beginners. They are also both great for travelling.
- Both products include instructions on the packaging to show how each powder should be used.
- Australis packing is slightly less sleek where the pivot mechanism juts out of the disk shape, although the mirror does open all the back 180degrees. The Sephora packaging is flush all the way around and seems to close tighter. The mirror only opens about 100degrees. Both are made of plastic.
- All powders have talc and mica as first two ingredients
- Main difference is that Australis is solely available in Australia while Sephora is largely available in USA.






Sooo...
| Australis Face-A-Holic
Price: $
Packaging: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
Repurchase: Yes (although I don't know if I'll ever need to :p)


Sephora Sculpting Disk
Price: $$
Packing: 4/5
Quality: 3.5/5
Repurchase: No

Thank you for reading! Hope that was helpful xox

... and a terrible swatch just for your enjoyment


All items were purchased by yours truly :)

Tuesday 1 November 2011

October: Faves & Fails

Hello Beautyloverrs!

 It's time for October favourites and fails because it's November already! How crazy! I literally do not know where this year went :o

This is my first monthly faves & fails for this blog .. well for any blog really .. and it means it's almost my blog's one month birthday! I might do a mini mini giveaway if I can get at least 25 GFC friends and maybe 100 twitter followers? (too ambitious? lol) So since this is my first faves & fails, I really wanted to show you almost everything that I ever loved ... ever lol. But I think I restrained myself okay. Next month I'll be on track to show you just the things that I absolutely can not live without ... and I still really want to do the weekly favourites but I just couldn't get it done with uni and this really horrible weather. BUT uni is over now for the year and the weather has been looking good lately (touch wood) so hopefully it can be revived .. we'll see. OK Here it is!


Cosmetics (eye)
| Estee Lauder Double wear Stay-In-Place ShadowCreme (swatched each side respectively)
- 18 Pink Pearl
- 20 Gold Dust
| Bourjois Eyeshadow (swatched in the middle)
- 08 Beige Rose
| Revlon PhotoReady Concealer (swatch horizontally)
- 003 Light Medium
| Maybelline The Falsies Volume Express Waterproof 
- Very Black
{MY HG WATERPROOF MASCARA! You'll be able to see this mascara on my lashes when I post my Showdown: Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Makeup Remover VS Lancome Bi-Facil video}



Cosmetics (face)
| Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Liquid SPF 55
{For days where I know I will be outside and exposed to the sun}
| Za True White Day Protector SPF 26
{ For days when I know I will be indoors, and not under the direct exposure of the sun but still need SPF to counter the indirect sunlight. This also usually means I'm in an air-conditioned environment for up to 9 hours of the day so it's moisturising properties is also good for preventing oiliness}
| Maybelline Blush
- 20 Pink o' Pink
{Surprise favourite! This blush was so cheap and a random purchase.Pigmentation is not fantastic and packaging is just plain, plastic Maybelline packaging but I love this shade. The swatch is true to colour but my arm is more tanned than my face so on my cheeks it really shows up a fresh, cheery, cute flush of cherub pinkness!}
| NYX Black Label Lipstick 
- 168 Off the Beaten Path
{This will be featured in my 5 Mins Challenge Tutorial. I love this lipstick. Apply and blot. Perfect if you want to get into bright lips :)


Skin & Hair
| Lancome Bi-Facil
{I have been loving this this month as I ran out of my Neutrogena eye makeup remover but stay tuned for my Eye Makeup Remover Showdown!}
| Yes to Carrots Gentle Exfoliating Facial Cleanser For Normal to Dry Skin
{The more I use this the more I love it and think it's a miracle product! It is perfect to use with my Clarisonic. It is the most gentle physical exfoliator. You can feel the exfoliation and you think it's going to roughen up your skin but actually it leaves it feeling soft and smooth!}
| MAC Fix +
{I love using this to moisten my foundation brush before applying my foundation to assist in blending. Especially with slightly thicker, less easier to blend foundations, this works like magic}
| Avene Thermal Spring Water
{I loved using this as a toner, de-powderfying my makeup and godsend on planes!}
| CHI Silk Infusion
{This acts as a heat protector and leave-in hair treatment, which can be used on wet and dry hair. I use this everytime I wash my hair. Personally, I think it's better than Morocconoil}


Scents
| Crabtree&Evelyn Summer Hill Hydrating Body Mist
{This literally smells like a field of flowers and grass in summertime. "...extracts of linden, marrow and nourishing honey."}
| Love, Chloe
{This is not the usual scent that I would gravitate towards which is usually sweet and fresh e.g. Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh, but for some reason I just love this scent. It's very unique and crazily enough it works perfectly with my body chemistry. It lasts for a long time on me and at the most random times I'll get a whiff of it and just go ahhh.}

Fails
| Dove Summer Glow
- Fair to Medium Skin
{This builds a nice tan/colour in a few days. I usually use it for a maximum for three days and then I stop for a few days as I don't to get any darker than that. HOWEVER this NEVER dries ... maybe in about 24 hours, at which point I have to shower and reapply ... It also says don't cover until it dries ... but it never dries so I'd have to walk around naked if I were to follow the instructions. I'm sure I can find a budget gradual tanner that gives nice colour AND actually dries in a reasonable time}
| Sun Sense Daily Face Matt FOrmula SPF 30+
{This just feels uncomfortable on my skin .. I can't explain it but I refuse to put something uncomfortable on my skin. By uncomfortable I mean I can feel it and that's uncomfortable ... lol :p. It's also not easy to blend, meaning it sometimes balls up if I don't let my moisturiser underneath dry properly .. or dry too much .. or mixes with the foundation I put on top and just goes eurgh. I can't even use it on my body as again .. uncomfortable. Not physically irritating but I think the matt formula leaves a weird finish. I'm trying to use it up by using it on my neck .. halfway house between face and body lol}

That's all for this month. I hope you enjoyed :) Mini reviews for all products will be up soon ... but if you would like an in-depth review instead for any of the products mentioned in this post let me know in a comment or email me! Of course, if you have any questions, comments, suggestions or requests leave a comment or email me. Talk to you soon!

xox have a great day!

All items were purchased by yours truly except for Love, Chloe, which is a tester (and no I did not nick it from DJs.. :p) I work at a retail store which sells fragrances so of course we have testers for customers to try. Every few months employees are allowed to pick a couple of half empty testers to take home (as they are generally replaced with new ones when they reach halfway). So I didn't receive it from any PR people or anything fabulous like that lol (i wish!) xox