2013 Favourites!

2013 is gone!

And with it brings all the favourites of the year posts! Including this one, so buckle up and get ready, because I'm going to try and make it as short a list as possible...but let's face it, I'm on the road to failsville already. Don't judge me okay? I like many a product, and they ALL deserve recognition, don't you think??

I'll be kind to your mind, and give you an easy, organised read. I won't waffle too much I promise!
But let's go, before you fall asleep, shall we?!

Makeup!

This year has been the year where my makeup stash has about tripled in size. And so I'm bound to come across a few staple products that I just can't leave, even for one day!

One of these is the Collection Lasting Perfection concealer. I now own two of these - one in fair and one in light - and it is the greatest, most wonderfulest thing ever. Great English there, but anyway, it gives great coverage, its not hydrating - in fact I find it dries my skin a bit. I wouldn't recommend this for dry skin types, unless you use a rich moisturiser. I find that any dry patches I have, it accentuates, but other than that, it has great coverage, it's long lasting, it's just perrrfect!

                                           

Next is the Benefit They're Real mascara. Just a black mascara, but no other mascara I've used comes close to this one. I mean, I've never used false lashes, but I've never seen my eyelashes that long, voluminous and...well, false looking before.

                                                        

The Rimmel Stay Matte powder has been a daily use for me for a few years now, and I just can't leave it alone. I've tried weening myself off it and try other powders, but none other surpass it's glory. Light coverage, but it leaves my skin perfectly matte, all day, unless you happen to sweat a lot on the face... area.

                                                    

The last thing is a fairly new to my collection, and for me to use as well. And it's eyebrow powder. Seeing as it is a new product to me, I bought an el cheapo one from Essence. The powders (light and dark) work perfectly. I'm not exactly sure what makes a good eyebrow powder, but this one makes my eyebrows look...there. I have light and sparse eyebrows, so using the powder really helps, and I can mix the light and dark shades together to make the perfect shade for me.

                                                

Skincare!

My skincare routine has definitely improved this year. Instead of using more makeup I've tried looking after my skin better, so that I wouldn't have to use as much makeup. 

My staple, holy grail, absolutely-can't-live-without-it product was The Body Shop's Seaweed Face Wash. Oh my god, give me all the Seaweed Face wash. 

This stuff makes my skin tingly clean and fresh. It's nothing fancy, just a gel wash that you work into a lather and then rinse, but jeez do I love the stuff. I bought tube after tube of it, and I don't think I'll be stopping any time soon!

                                                                

In terms of serums, I've recently (November) started using one called Hydraluron. It contains Hyaluronic acid, which holds 1,000 times its own weight in water, and so when you use a moisturiser over the top of this, it really helps your skin absorb all of the moisture from it. 

                                           

Bioderma has now become my favourite makeup remover. It's an absolute miracle worker. I was skeptical at first, as it was $20 for the small bottle (100mL), but I splurged, and haven't looked back. Just as an example, the Benefit They're Real mascara is an absolute butt to get off, but with Bioderma, I just put a little bit on a cotton pad and it just WIPES AWAY! POOF! Gone. It's crazy!

                                                     

Hair Care!

With hair care, I rarely change my products unless I get samples or gifts. So this year I've pretty much only used Redken's All Soft shampoo and conditioner. Definitely not cheap at about $28 each, but they last ages and do the job really well. I only wash my hair every second or third day, and I have quite long hair, but I only need the smallest amount, so it's totally worth the money.

                                                     

Hello Haul!

Oh yes, a very seductive - and massive - haul I have for you today my friends...

I've been a bit naughty with my credit card and pay checks recently (oopsies!) and have made a few extravagant (compared to my usual drugstore and overall tight budgeted way) purchases.

Sooo many lovely things.. Real techniques, Benefit, Physicians Formula, Lush, bareMinerals, Bobbi Brown, Philosophy, Clinique, Nyx, Body Shop..... *deep breath*

Aaand, moving on!

Mmmhmmm did I get a few brushes? I did? Well golly.

I did invest in a new Real Techniques brush (powder brush) that I'd been eyeing off for AGES, and I also found an Eco Tools buffing brush on sale in Safeway and decided to pick that up too :) Great brushes. The Real Techniques brush is massive compared to the current Eco Tools powder brush I have, but it does a great job.

The other two brushes (on the left) are two - I think, but could be fake (they're from eBay) - Eco Tools brushes. A small powder/contour brush and a smaller brush that I've been using for eyeshadow.

I saw on Facebook one evening that there was a new store open in Southland called Mecca Maxima, and they had Nars, Bobbi Brown, Stila and all these amazing brands that I'd never known to be in Victoria before. So...because they had a special deal on, and the Makeup junkie that I am, I had to go look.

The deal was that if you spend $65 or more you got a free little gift. 

So me being me, I spend over $65, but it was so hard to choose! I ended up buying a Bobbi Brown long-wear gel eyeliner in Sepia Ink, a Soap & Glory Clean, Girls body wash (that somehow didn't get in the photos - how could I forget it?! It smells amazing!), and a mini bareMinerals Touch Up Veil in translucent.

In the free gift was a sample of a Bobbi Brown lip gloss in Rose Sugar, the Clinique All About Eyes (reduces puffiness and circles), bareMinerals Prime Time original primer, and the Philosophy purity 3-in-1 cleanser. So many things! The cleanser is so lovely, but doesn't smell the greatest, in my opinion. The Clinique eye stuff...I don't know whether it makes a difference or not, but I'll keep trying it. The primer is grreaat and the lip gloss is lovely, but slightly tacky.

You betcha I went to Lush. Just a few times ;)

I can smell Lush from a mile away. And I am not sorry.

In my few trips into there I picked up a few things. First is the Dorothy Bubble Bar; oh my god guys, it smells so summery. Like sunscreen and fresh water and...you know that fresh scent of just getting out from under a cool shower? 

I also bought the Golden Wonder bath ballistic. It. Rattles. Whaaaat?! It smells incredible; so sweet and floral. These aren't in the pictures (because I've now used them) but I also got the Avobath bath ballistic and the Cinders bath ballistic (also both amazing, but the cinders one didn't crackle, which was disappointing :()

I also got a sample pot of the Dream Cream; this was originally meant for my Dad as he has eczema, but I ended up with it hehe ;)

 I could not pass up the Baby Frosty pack. I mean, look at that guy. He's the cutest thing ever! Inside the cloth bundle you get a So White bath ballistic and a Candy Mountain bubble bar. I've never tried any of the things in this Lush part of the haul, so this is very exciting for me!

I was going to get the Bubblegum lip scrub, but then saw the Santa's one and seeing as it is only for around Christmas time, thought I'd get that. It's supposed to be Cola flavoured...but to me it just tastes a bit like soap..

They had a small Fun pack that I bought for $7.50 which I thought was a good price. (The gold one is missing - I used it last night, it smelt sooo good). It came with a green one, a red one and a gold one, all sample size I think. I look forward to using those!

I've been a bit meh towards the Body Shop, but since getting the Seaweed face mask as a present, I've gotten back into their stuff. I love this hand cream. It's the Wild Rose hand cream with SPF 15+...for 'mature skin'. But I use it, and it feels so good. It's a little bit watery once you start rubbing it in, but it sinks in super fast and leaves my hands soft, but not too moist and sweaty feeling. And for about $10, I'm not complaining!

Target stock NYX now! WHAT!? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!?

Either way, I got excited, and bought this butter gloss in Vanilla Cream Pie. So so lovely. I can see the hype with these things. $9.95, and totally worth it!

Online shopping will be the death of me.

I actually already have a Collection lasting perfection concealer, but the buyer's listing was going to end soon, and I freaked out. haha...oh dear.

The other one was carefully chosen - just for something different. A NYX The Natural Shadow Palette six eyeshadow thing. It has lovely neutral colours, perfect for every day. A little bit of fallout with these but the pigmentation is great for the price!

Benefiittt!!!! Ahhhh! I finally indulged! After using a free brow make-upper voucher from my Lust Have It! box, the lovely lady that served me showed me the very last tin of a pack that included the Porefessional, the They're Real mascara, High Beam and Sugar bomb. All full sized, for $69. I wanted the Porefessional, which is $53 on it's own...why not pay an extra $16 and get three other things, right? OH MY GOD.

I was so excited! My boyfriend didn't seem all that interested in the girl talk and makeup, but I sure was!

Last but not least is a pack for Physicians Formula that I found in Priceline for $24.95. The top powder (a colour correcting powder is about $20 by itself!). It came with a powder foundation and a clip-together concealer and highlighter. I'm not too fussed with the concealer, but the highlighter is lovely and soft. Very subtle. :)

So that is the end of my haul!

I know, I did warn you it was a big'n!

I didn't buy all these in one day, these have been over a few shopping trips! 

But I love every single thing and I'll get use out of all of them. I just love getting new things to try and review, so wait for the reviews of these! I may even upload a video of the bath bomb...if you're lucky ;) 

Stay tuned for next weeks post, babes!

Be Strong, Be You, and Lust the Beauty

 xx

Disappointing Products!

Oh deary me....

I really wish I could like any of these items...but...eh...

I've decided that instead of making a list of products I love and recommend, I'd jazz it up and let you guys know about some things that I haven't liked. Regrettable purchases that I will never be making again.

First off is the Formula 10.0.6 One Smooth Operator - pore clearing face scrub with zinc, oat and pumice. It smells alright, I'll give it that...but it is way way waay too runny. I find that most of it runs off my hands and face before I have any time to use it. And the amount of exfoliating beads in the product is just not enough to do anything. 

Not happy with this.

Next is the Australis Lip Treatment Duo. I did rave about this when I first got it, but after using it a few more times, I found it to be not very effective. After recently purchasing a LUSH lip scrub (keep your eyes peeled for an up-coming haul post!), I realised how awful this product really is. The green exfoliant is too thick and hard massage in. (Plus I really didn't enjoy the peppermint smell - but that's just my opinion) 

The white lip butter was good, but the pink gloss seemed like wasted space. To me, lip gloss isn't part of a lip treatment. Lip gloss is usually how my lips get dry and icky in the first place.

Now, don't even get me started on the V05 Plump Me Up dry shampoo. The first dry shampoo I've ever tried. I had high hopes (she had hiiiigh hopes!), and I was thoroughly let down. My hair was oily - a typical story really - and along came the V05 dry shampoo to make my hair EVEN MORE oily than before! What?! 

Terrible terrible terrible. I do NOT recommend this. It just make my hair so much worse!

The Aveeno Daily Moisturising Lotion was a bit of a let down. Not much of a scent, seems quite watery once you start rubbing it in, and my legs and arms looked just as dry as they did before after I'd used it. Nope, don't like this one either.

After having some skin trouble, I stumbled upon the Clean and Clear advantage spot treatment gel. It supposedly reduces spot size in four hours. LIES! It actually made me break out even more! 

As for the Clearasil Ultra Overnight Defence Lotion, I used this a few times, and I never noticed any difference, so I ditched this one straight away and went straight back to my Innoxa night clarifying cream.

One day I decided to buy some bath salts... 

Bad decision. I bought some NP Set Shanghai Ginger Bath Salts. They smell absolutely horrid. It's like putting washing machine powder in your bath, and it makes no difference to the water at all. Ugh, put these back down the laundry aisle please!

It's safe to say that these products really just don't float my boat. But hey, that doesn't mean you won't like them! 

This is just my opinion, but I will never be repurchasing these again. In fact I'll be trying to get rid of these to friends and family, because I'm so sick of them taking up space in my room!

Stay tuned for my Haul post! Nyx, Benefit, Sally Hansen, Lush, Eco Tools, Physicians Formula, plus clothing! 

Stay sassy 

xx

My Current Haircare Routine!

Aren't I just so festive? My $5 tree from Big W and $3 decorations? (Bargain much?)

Anyway, so I tend to pride myself on my hair

It's healthy,

An okay colour (it's lighter now),

And it's long.

I mean, look at me trying to be artistic. Wow.

So seeing as my hair is one of my favourite features, I like to look after the stuff. This means I only ever blow dry around once a month (only if I'm desperate for my hair to dry in time) and I only heat style it for special occassions (probably less than once a month).

But besides not burning the poop out of my long strands, I also use particular products and treatments to help keep it smooth, shiny, and healthy.

I wash my hair every second day; and 90% of the time I will use my Redken All Soft shampoo and conditioner. I love this stuff so much. I'm on my second bottles of both the shampoo and conditioner and I just can't stop using it. It leaves my hair clean, soft and easy to brush. I like to use a treatment afterwards too most of the time as I find the conditioner doesn't quite hydrate the ends of my hair enough. 

This shampoo and condition isn't cheap, by all means, but it's definitely worth the money. I usually wait until it comes out in a duo pack for about $32, but individually they retail for $22.95 (Hairhouse Warehouse) each. The shampoo is a larger size, which I find annoying, because I always use more conditioner than shampoo, but ANYWAY....

The treatments I always reach for is the Redken Extreme Anti-Snap treatment. Again, pricey at $29 for a 250mL bottle, but a little bit goes a long way, and it never leaves my hair feeling heavy or oily.

The other is an Edward Beale Moroccan Oil Leave In Treatment. This is a lot heavier than the Anti-Snap, but great for a once-to-twice a week treatment. It's very hydrating, and much cheaper than the Redken treatment at $12.99 (Priceline). It just leaves my hair feeling soft and nourished; perfect for those times where your hair is unruly, dry and brittle.

The last - only now - regular item I use for my hair is the Batiste dry shampoo. I am so very late on the bandwagon with this, but I'm so glad I finally tried it out. The first ever dry shampoo I used was a V05 one, which was just plain awful. The thing made my hair MORE oily than before (say whaaat?). This one is just the best thing ever invented. Like seriously, I take my hair out of the ugly bun I slept with, spray this in sections over my roots, massage it in a little, disperse the white residue a bit.....ta-da! 

It's truly amazing. My hair looks like it has been washed.

Absolutely in love with this product!

Just as an added bonus, if you happen to have oily roots, or a build up of product or any irritation on your scalp....read on!

Tea tree oil, my friends, is the Holy Grail for all your issues.

I get an awfully itchy, oily scalp/roots. I purchased a 20% solution bottle of Tea tree oil, put it in a spray bottle with some extra water, and every fortnight-month I'll spritz my roots with it, leave it overnight and wash my hair the next morning. 

(You can also just do it before you hop into the shower in the morning, but I like to leave it)

It helps wash out the build up of hair product and can be good for oil control. It also has antiseptic properties that could help with irritations or itchiness!

Personally, it worked fantastically on my hair. You only need to use a tiny tiny bit, but I could feel how refreshingly clean my hair felt after I washed it the next morning. It was fabulous!

And so my cherubs, these lovely products are my everyday, regular routine for my hair. And I must not be doing too bad if my hair is as long as it is and looking healthy and shiny!

Keep a look out for my next post on disappointing products! 

Catch ya!

November Favourites!

November Favourites time!

I've recently added a few - what I regard as - luxury items to my collection lately, and I've been very impressed so far!

After having a nice chat and my brows done (courtesy of the November Lust Have It! box) at the Benefit counter in Chadstone, I ended up leaving with a tin that had the Porefessional Primer, High Beam highlighter, a lip gloss and a They're Real mascara. 

The Porefessional is $53 on its own, and so you'd hope that it does what it says. I'm not exactly sure how much is supposed to be used, but I only use a tiny amount. I have larger pores around my nose and my forehead, and I've noticed a great difference when I use this. It just seems to mattify and fill all those pesky divots and make your skin look so much more flawless.

As for the mascara, it is fantastic! I've been loving the Covergirl Clump Crusher, but since getting this, I've been hooked. The only downfall is that I find it takes a lot of effort to get off, so it's best to use an eye makeup remover.

The High Beam Highlighter is lovely too. Only a tiny bit is needed, and just blended in on the cheek bones gives a perfectly dewy, glowy look.

A product I've had for a while is the Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer. I have in the shade "Fair", and it's the best concealer I've ever used. I have constant redness on my lower cheek area, and this covers it perfectly. Not new, but I can't not mention this little beauty. Everyone needs one of these!

A new product next. Mecca Maxima has just opened up at Southland Shopping Centre, and I was straight there to spend my $65 dollars to get a free gift (woo!). To get to $65 I bought a Soap & Glory Clean, Girls body wash, a mini Bare Minerals finishing veil, and this Bobbi Brown Long Wear Gel Eyeliner in Sepia Ink - a nice dark brown. Since using this, I've begun to wonder how I ever stuck to pencils. They can be so harsh! It is beautiful and subtle and really easy to use. Perfect! Definitely worth $35!

Part of the free gift from Mecca Maxima was a Bobbi Brown mini lip gloss in a lovely nudey berry colour. It is a little bit sticky, but it lasts really well, and is a great travel/pocket sized one for on the go!

Next is a bit of a pamper product and a gift from my boyfriend. The Body Shop's Seaweed Ionic Clay Mask. It smells fairly potently like their Seaweed face wash, which isn't bad - fresh, bittersweet....clean?

Anyway, it is a great mask. It it cooling and relaxing. It contains a small amount of exfoliating bead things so that when you wash it off, you are also exfoliating. All in all, this mask is best for oily/combination skin, and is probably not a good option for sensitive skin types. I would recommend a good moisturiser for afterwards, too.

This wraps up my favourites for this month! It's been a while since I've posted, but I'm going to try to post once a week, so I'm thinking every Monday/Tuesday. :)

I'm thinking a Haul post? What do you think?

Let me know your favourites for the month! I love looking up and trying new things!

Have a great week! Christmas is approaching!! AAHHH!