The Winter Blues

Sometimes blue as a nail polish colour is a really tricky shade to pull off and I don't own many true blue shades purely because of that reason. I always think about the times that I wear blue nail polishes and I generally wear them around the winter time bc it just feels right?! AMIRITE?

Bourjois 1 Seconde Nail Polish - "Bleu Water" This is the lightest out of all the shades I have chosen and some would say that this is more of a spring colour but wateva. I like it! The colour is more on the sky blue side of lighter blues and I think the colour is SO unique for a sky blue! Plus the bottle is real cute and the formula is top notch!

Revlon Colorstay - "Blue Slate"  This shade is definitely my favourite out of all of the blues I own because it has a grey undertone to it making it the most subtle shade of blue! I have gotten tonnes of compliments when I wear this shade at work which doesn't really happen.. ever.. So this colour is A-OKAY in my books!

OPI - "Kiss Me at Midnight" I believe this was a part of the Mariah Carey Christmas Collection?? I got this blue in a mini set which is good for those with full nail polish bottle commitment issues. What is so unique about this shade is that it has a liquid sand finish so it's all bumpy and glittery! + the shade is a pretty royal blue for the more daring of nail polish wearers.

Essie - "Butler Please" Every time I wear this shade my inner nerd just goes cray. All I can say is TARDIS BLUE!! Every time that I wear this nail polish, I feel like watching Doctor Who for a week straight! {Totally Possible tho!!} The only thing I don't like about this polish is the stain-age left behind... om g.. Let's not talk about that..

Essie - "No More Film" is the darkest of all the blues and is one of the darkest polishes that I own. There's something about the shade that gives off that real sophisticated and hey-look-at-me-I'm-a-responsible-and-reliable-adult-who-likes-navy-nail-polish kinda vibes. It looks great paired with red lipstick or a gold accent nail!! Werk that parisian look gurl!

What is your go-to colour in Winter?
xx

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Raiding Mama Lemon's Makeup Stash

I can't be the only one that occasionally rummages through their mothers makeup stash to see what type of makeup that they use right?! RIGHT!!?!?!?!

Well, last week I had a bit of a sticky beak into mama lemon's makeup bag and what do I find?! The most exciting thing a beauty enthusiast and constant makeup wish-lister like me could find! A MAC Kohl pencil in one of the most popular shades around, "Teddy". I was actually going to buy this liner brand new in the MAC store after hearing about how Anna from VDM really loves it but mama lemon was hoarding one all along! MADNESS!

My first thought was like w a t?! How come this is in here? My mum doesn't even use eyeliners for starters so I'm not exactly sure on how she came into possession of this gem!? On closer inspection, it looked like it had been used once but for the most part, it was practically brand new!! What are the odds?! For those who are unaware, MAC "Teddy"  is a bronzy brown with like a bit of red undertones making it so versatile for different skin tones and can easily turn a day time look into a night one!

I love finding and rediscovering hidden gems not only in my own collection but also in mama's collection because she has some good stuff that she didn't even know was in there! It makes me feel like Ariel from the Little Mermaid when she is looking for treasures to add to her ever growing collection of random crap.

Have you recently discovered anything you have had on your wish list for a while in your mums, sisters or friends collections that they didn't even know was there?!
xx

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Birthday Treats

As an avid beauty blog reader, I'm always reading too many posts that easily convince me that I need all these products that I don't need. So after narrowing the longest list down to a few makeup bits and bobs, my mama took me shopping and bought me some presents for my birthday! I thought I would share some with you because no one I know in the real world {outside of blogging} understands!? Ja feel?

One of the most exciting presents that I received was this Orange Ted Baker London Makeup Bag which is so cute! My mum walked past the shelf and picked this up in the colour that I wanted without me telling her which one I wanted {some real mind reading magic going on here!} HAHA it's so pretty with it's rose gold zipper and fancy bow and the colour is just beautiful!!

Also on our shopping trip, we went to Priceline and picked up a few of the limited edition Face of Australia Dark Side Nail Polishes in "Ursula" - a royal purple, "Mystique"- Blue Teal and "Darth Vadar" - Purple glitter top coat! All the shades are named after villains which is so cool!! I also caved into the hype of the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner because I am a eyeliner nut bag and I love trying out new ones to create different shaped cat eyes and wings! I have tried this like once already and jeez it is a struggle and a half to get a smooth line with it.. so I guess I'm going to be practicing with it for a while!

Another really exciting present was the NARS Narsissist Palette!! O. M. G. I cry. My mama knew that I have literally been lusting over this palette for 4eva so she placed an order on Sephora and used a Postal Forwarding Service called "HopShopGo" which does assisted purchasing! {booyeah!}. The shadows are soft, blend-able and oh-so beautiful!!

 So to make the shipping worth it, my mama also got the Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in "Ginger Pop" which lemme say, that embossed daisy pattern is SO BEAUTIFUL + the shade is just gorgeous, it's almost too pretty to use!! Also from Sephora, my mama bought me a Hourglass Liquid Lipstick in "Rose" which feels so luxurious {I'm a sucker for sleek packaging!}

This is what I got from my parents and I'm so excited to play with everything!! I probably won't do reviews on everything considering that there are so many out there but I'm sure you will see these products floating around in future posts!!

What is on your birthday wish list?
xx

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A DUPE for Deborah Lippmann's "Mermaid's Dream"

When I bought the Deborah Lippmann "Mermaid's Dream" Nail Polish and showed you guys in a haul, most of you guys LOVED this nail polish. I do too! It's such a lovely and unique nail polish. I know Deborah Lippmann Nail Polishes are crazy expensive so I wanted to find a dupe that was more affordable and more accessible for everyone. Lo and behold, I have found one! Its the Revlon Parfumerie in "Wintermint".

First of all, these two nail polishes look SO SIMILAR but have a few differences. As Revlon's "Wintermint" is from the Parfumerie range, it does have a strong minty scent when you apply it and once it's dry. I personally don't like mint so this polish requires a bit of tolerance on my behalf. Deborah Lippmann's "Mermaid's Dream" is not scented, it just has that normal nail polish smell.

Both nail polishes have that sea foam base colour with "Wintermint" being a hint lighter but the glitters differ slightly. I noticed that "Mermaid's Dream" has more chunky blue glitters while the blue chunky glitters in "Wintermint" are quite sparse. Other than the blue chunky glitters, Revlon's "Wintermint" goes on a tad sheerer so you have to build it up a little.

I personally prefer Deborah Lippmann's "Mermaid's Dream" because it's more pigmented and is fragrance free. I just think that for those who don't want to fork out big $$ for a nail polish, Revlon's "Wintermint" is a great alternative! + the bottle is too cute!
xx

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The Birthday Face

It was my birthday on Friday the 11th {wooo!}. I went out to dinner and to see the musical "Grease" with my parents on my birthday night which was freaking amazing {I love a good musical + the food at dinner was delicious, uGH yum!!}. The day after, I had my friends over and then we went to the movies to see 22 Jump Street. This makeup is from the movie day on Saturday bc natural lighting was SO not on my side on Friday afternoon. 

You guys know that I rarely change up my foundation routine, I know, I know. Boring, boring but these products I use just work so well together on my skin and it lasts all day and into the dark of nights! The only thing I did switch up was a primer which is the Stila One Step Correct which was really good at reducing redness and making my skin look more alive.

Just a quick back story as to why I use so many products - I have really bad + dark acne scarring which is a bit hard for me to talk about but these products are what I use to cover them all up.  I conceal with my L'oreal True Match Concealer and Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Clearing Concealer and then my Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup with my Clinique Almost Powder Makeup on top! {+ Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser under my eyes to over dem dark circles girl}. phew, that was too many products

I worked from the brows down, so I started with my Smashbox Brow Tech To Go then primed my eyelids with the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion.  I then decided to go with my favourite eyeshadow combinations in terms of colour. I must admit that I dig a good gold and brown combo and it was a really nice change from the Naked 3 palette which has been my go-to palette lately. I used MAC "Woodwinked" all over the lid with my new and shiny By Terry Ombre Blackstar in "Bronzed Moon"  on the outer corner. I still can't understand how to blend the crayon out because once it's on, you don't have much time to work with it. I found that blending out with my fingers was alright but it just sheers the colour out! Any tips?

As always, I added a wing because thats who I am! I JUST LOVE DRAWING CAT EYES AND WINGS omg! Ja feel? I used the always trusty Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner which always works a treat! I curled my lashes with my new baby, the Japonesque Power Curl Eyelash Curler and applied a coat of the Revlon Lash Potion Mascara. Now after wearing this mascara, I remembered why I don't use it as often, the silly thing irritates my eyeballs and it does smudge a little bit even though it's waterproof. So I regret wearing that mascara..

My favourite blush at the moment is MAC "Sea Me, Hear Me" which is from the Alluring Aquatic Collection and is a really nice neutral pink shade. I'm having trouble with my brushes not picking up the product properly, but boy this blush looks amazing and it lasts all day! And lastly, lips! I decided to go all out with a bright, fun colour because WHY NOt?! I went with a Revlon Lacquer Balm in "Tease" which is a beautiful orange shade and compliments the gold and brown eyeshadow combo! :D

What's your favourite eyeshadow colour combination?

xx

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Kikki K Stationary

I'm a total nut bag when I walk into cute stationary shops. It can't just be me right!?!?! I was in the city with my mama and we walked into this swedish stationary shop called Kikki K which has really cute and I mean, really cute stationary. So naturally, I had to pick a few things up that were on SALE because who can't resist a sale right?!?!

All the stationary I bought has this under the ocean vibe which is SO COOL, I LOVE IT!! I picked up two notebooks and a note pad. When you flick through the pages, it has little mermaids, shells, seals and more under the sea inspired pictures! What's not to love!? Then I got the matching pens which came in a set of 5! I was actually so excited about this collection when it came out but it was a little expensive for my liking so I'm glad I got them on sale!

The only things I didn't get on sale and were more of a heat in the moment thing was a box of matches {for candles and stove-lighting emergencies for mama} and a box of coloured pens. I'm one of those people that get overly excited about stationary, CAN YOU TELL?! Regardless, I love everything that I bought, it's almost too cute to use!

xx
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June Favourites 2014

girl, I can't believe that June is over! IT IS OFFICIALLY THE MIDDLE OF THE YEAR?! How quick did that go?! Anyways, June was freaking awesome if you ask me, I finished my first semester at uni, I got to catch up with my friends AND SUPANOVA {nerd convention} WAS AMAZINGNGGNN!! :D Let's be real. I was feeling real spendy this month. TOO many online purchases were being made so I had plenty and I mean plenty of new makeup to play around with so it was tricky narrowing it down to my favourites.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette
I don't know what it is but this has been the palette I have been using everyday in June. It must be something to do with the rosy shades and the winter weather because the combination is just perfect! You can make it a simple look with a pink lip or go all fancy with a berry and it just works! I will continue to say it bc it's true, the Naked 3 Palette is by far my favourite Naked Palette.

Japonesque Power Curl Eyelash Curler
OH MY GOD, This eyelash curler is L I F E. I never use to care about the brand of eyelash curler, I used to use this cheapo one from a magazine! I decided it was time to upgrade them {silently sings the first 15 seconds of Beyonce's "Upgrade U"} and boy these eyelash curlers don't disappoint! They get right to the base of the lashes making the curl look natural and it makes applying mascara so easy and really mess-free. I can tell that these babies will be a part of my life for a long time.

Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream in "Milan"
I picked this up a while back and winter is definitely the season to wear this shade. I just generally prefer pink lips in winter, is that weird?! I love how this applies with a doe-foot applicator so even and neat, it smells like vanilla and lasts a good while before it starts to fade and dry your lips out. I actually prefer using my Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine underneath the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream because it provides a layer of moisture while actually giving good colour pay-off!

MAC Extra Dimension Blush in "Sea Me, Hear Me"
This blush is from the Alluring Aquatic Collection and boy is it beautiful! My brushes pick the product up really evenly without being messy. The shade is a muted pink, it's just a beautiful colour, perfect for winter because it has a little darkness to it which warms up my complexion and I'm glad that this baby is my collection bc THAT PACKAGING!

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
I use to own a blending sponge from KITcosmetics but I really like the Real Techniques one more. First, the shape of the sponge makes it easy both to conceal under the eye area as well as actually apply foundation {with the flat side}. The texture of the sponge is SO SOFT when it is damp, like a marshmallow and doesn't tug at your face! It really applies foundation and concealer really smoothly and evenly.

AAAAAAND that was my June Favourito's! What have been your favourites for June?
xx

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