Non Stop Softness

After I got the big chop in November my hair has been the healthiest it has ever been. However I still struggle with the frizz and silkiness. I have not really been one to invest in hair care and I have no reason as to why but I'm not a hair care gal. Bumble and Bumble has always been a brand that I have been interested in trying after the constant ramblings from the beauty enablers Anna from VDM and Lily from LilyPebbles. However in Australia, Bumble and Bumble is sold in Mecca Cosmetica which is so many dollar signs it makes me cringe {especially for hair care}.

Bumble and Bumble brought out some killer sets for the holiday season and after constant struggle on deciding which one to get, I finally chose the Non Stop Softness kit.

This set contains 3 mini Bumble and Bumble hair care products with one of them being the Hairdresser's Invisible Oil which I have been keen to try for so long. Now here is the best bit. This product can be bought on it's own at $49AUD for 100ml. You can buy this Non-Stop Softness set which includes a 100ml Hairdresser's visible oil + 60ml shampoo and conditioner for THE SAME PRICE!!

LET THAT SINK IN!
3 products for the price of one?! Who wouldn't want to score that deal!?

Here are my first impressions!

I don't really think that the line has a significant scent to it but I can smell some sort of coconut in it. The scent lingers but it isn't overwhelming or annoying. I really like it though!!

The SHAMPOO: It comes in a 60ml bottle and smells fresh with a hint of coconut goodness. The shampoo lathers up nicely and effectively cleans your hair. What I like about it the most is that it doesn't make the strands of hair feel thin or straw like.

The CONDITIONER: It is a 60ml squeeze tube and again smells really lovely. The conditioner is a thicker consistency {think heavy thick cream} but once applied and rinsed, it makes your hair feel so light, soft and less frizzy. Oh yes. This is what conditioner dreams are made of.

The OIL SERUM THING: This is the absolute steal in the set, as it comes in a 100ml bottle {full size}. A little bit goes a loooong way to make your hair look silky without looking gross and greasy. I always use this regardless if I am using heat on it or not because it works baby!

I used all three hair care products for two weeks consistently (every 2-3 days). I can say that have seen a difference in the way that my hair looks and feels. I have noticed less frizziness when my hair air dries, more shine, silkiness and it generally feels soft and healthy. I'm impressed with this little kit, and it has definitely opened my eyes to try out the rest of the brand {even though it's $$$}. I actually prefer kits like these as you can sample the big guns without paying for a full size product that you may not like.

BUT YOU GOTTA ACT QUICK! IT'S LIMITED EDITION! {dun dun dunnnnn}

Would you recommend any products from Bumble and Bumble to try out?! :)
xx

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T'was The Christmas Lipstick

A red lip is always a must when it comes to the holiday season in my opinion. Something about a red lip is classy while also shouting "CHRISTMAS" from the rooftops. I thought it was time to treat myself to a high end red lipstick for the holidays, that wasn't MAC's Ruby Woo.

The release of the NARS Audacious Lipstick collection caught my eyes however every time I went into Mecca Cosmetica, they didn't have any shades that appealed to me that were a real stand out. That was of course, until I saw this one lonely {but badass} red lipstick in an array of pinks and nudes.

 Sorry for the incredibly bad iPhone photo! 

NARS "Rita" is a beautiful scarlet red with warm undertones. I think it is the perfect red! Bold statement, why yes, but bold lips? Even more yes. The lipstick has a creamy formula and is incredibly opaque in one swipe. I can't comment on feathering as every time I go for a red lip, I just have to use a lip liner {The Rimmel one if you were wondering} due to fear of clown mouth. But it has a beautiful stain to it and slightly fades in the centre of the lips after a a big meal. It wears really nicely and it feels incredibly comfortable on the lips. I wore this lipstick on Christmas and I got SO many compliments on it!! I loved pairing this red lipstick with plain one wash eyeshadow and a simple cat flick! puuuurfect-o

Also, big shout out to the packaging of this lipstick collection. It's soooo different to the normal NARS matte packaging which is a lovely change. The lid is also magnetic which makes the lipstick feel even more luxurious. 

What lipstick did you wear on Christmas Day?

xx

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Bits and Bobs from the Drugstore

I do love a good ol' drugstore haul! I have been trying to save my money since the massive splurge-a-thon that happened at MAC a couple of posts ago. Every so often, I keep an eye out for sales when it comes to drugstore makeup because why pay full price?!

Revlon Quick Dry Base Coat

I'll run through what I would consider a boring purchase. But an essential one. I already own one of these and to be honest, it's not the greatest base coat in the world but it does the job at a pretty affordable price {+ with SALES!! How could I not?!}. I am open to new base coat suggestions!

L'oreal Color Riche Moisture Matte Lipstick

Let me explain that I have a love/hate relationship with L'oreal's lipstick packaging. They never have the range that the lipstick is from, only the shade but they always hit the nail on the head with their aesthetics! DANG this lipsticks looks and feels so fancy! The shade that I chose was "Cherry Crush" which is a lovely bright pink shade. The lipstick applies so smooth and I surprisingly didn't get miranda sing'd on the first go, which usually happens let's be honest. It is a little drying and can cling to some dry patches but it's all about how you apply it baby. I always prep my lips before tackling the big guns {matte lipsticks}.

Australis High Lights Mineral Face Highlighter in "Pearl"

I'm not a gal that is all about dat strong contour and highlight business. BUUUUT, I have always wanted to try the Benefit High Beam because it is SO beautiful! I have been lusting over that pearly pink highlighter for a long time but I didn't want to fork out da big $$. Anyways, I was searching Priceline for something similar and BAM, this one caught my eye! It comes in a bottle with a pump which is like 10x better than a little brush {all about that hygiene tho}. This highlighter incredibly creamy, easy to apply and looks so natural for a subtle everyday highlight. I like to pair it with a matte blush and yes. y e s. very good.

Revlon Colourstay Moisture Stain in "LA Exclusive"

I tried to hold off of these for the longest time but again, sales got the best of me. I wasn't really feelin' the shade selection to be honest. I mean they had some nice shades don't get me wrong but I felt like something was missing! {more pinks please!} I picked up the shade"LA Exclusive" which again is another pink shade, can you feel a theme running through this post?! When swatched on my hand this lip products looks pigmented in colour but is still sheer. On my lips this shade is SOOOOO sheer. Like I applied two layers and was like "WHERE R U?!". I have found a winning combo though, so if you would like to see a post about that, I would be more more than happy to blog about it!

L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper in "Dark Brunette"
With drugstore brow products on the rise like zombies, I decided to give the L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper a go which is basically a volumising tinted brow gel. I was soooo relieved that the tinted gel actually matches the colour of my eyebrows which rarely happens with drugstore brow products.  The wand bit of the product is way bigger than my eyebrows, which is kind of scary at first but it works well to give the effect of fuller brows. It looks all goopy on the wand which is a little of a worry, but fear not, it dries matte on the brows and lasts all day {In my experience anyways}.

I LOVE HAULS! Have you tried any of the things that I purchased? I would love to know your thoughts on them too! :D
xx

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A Fruity Christmas

I thought about starting this post with a good ol' christmas carol but I ain't got time to write that all out! HAHAH Christmas is creeping upon us again and to get into the spirit, I took a trip to The Body Shop because YES.

As soon as I heard about the release of the Glazed Apple Collection, I was excited! GREEN APPLES ARE MY FAVE FRUIT! So it's basically a match made in heaven. The smell of The Body Shop products aren't true green apples but it's so close you could eat it {BUT DON'T}.

I already own many of The Body Shop Body Butters so I knew this one was going to be a winner already. The Glazed Apple Body Butter comes in the standard tub the Body Butters come in with a lovely picture of a candied apple *drools*. The smell hits you as soon as you open the lid and the formula has a creamy, almost whipped buttery consistency. When you apply the Body Butter, it goes on as an even layer and absorbs into the skin in minutes. What I love about the Body Butters the most is that they provide 24 hour moisture which is great if you have almost scaly mermaid legs like me at the moment.

Another Glazed Apple product that I purchased was the Glazed Apple Hand Cream. I'm a big fan of The Body Shop Hand Creams in general and as the scent was apples, damage was done. The hand cream comes in a 30ml tube which is fantastic for travelling. As soon as you apply the cream, it absorbs pretty quickly leaving your hands smelling like ripe green apples! What I like about it the most is that it doesn't leave your hands feeling all oily and gross.

The other scent? FLAVOUR? WHo KNOws!? was the Frosted Cranberry collection. Holy moly, girl! Definitely give it a whirl next time you are at The Body Shop because you will NOT be disappointed. The smell reminds me so much of lollies, specifically the red kind of lollies for some weird reason. I picked up the Frosted Cranberry Lip Balm was an impulse buy. It's not the greatest lip balm in the world if you have hecka chapped lips, by the end of the day my lips felt a bit worse for wear. BUT it has a pink/red little tint to it. I personally would skip this as a stocking stuffer and invest in one of the larger products.

The last product that I bought was the Frosted Cranberry Body Polish. I have tried the scrubs from The Body Shop before but haven't tried the "body polishes". I honestly don't know what the difference is between them but the body polish has a gel almost jelly like consistency with larger and harsher granules. I love a good body scrub and when I smelt this one in store, I couldn't not pick it up. The smell is just on point christmas sweets! And it works a gosh darn treat to get rid of the previously mentioned scaly mermaid legs.

I'm pretty pleased with all these products that I bought. Looking back, I should have bought at least one thing from the other christmas collection {vanilla something?} but oh well. All these products are great stocking stuffers for your beauty loving friend! I would recommend checking out the christmas packs to get more bang for your buck! :D
xx

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Mid December Favourites 2014

I took another break again which I am so sorry about.. I just needed time to myself, to get my life back on track and during the process, my blog just fell off my priority list. BUT IM BACK{streets back alright- duh danannanana *funky dance move*} and I am so pumped to get writing again and take photos and chat with you guys {that's my fave part!}.

On another note, it is the middle of December..

um wat?!

I know I am extremely late with the November Faves so I thought I would call it my mid December favourites and include some of the products that I have been loving in November as well! As Christmas is right around the riverbend {pls get the reference *praying emoji*}, I haven't purchased any super new products. However there may be a couple that are new but haven't been used until now!

Maybelline Color Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze"
"Bad to the bronze" which is a metallic brown type kind of colour. I have a couple of these at home in different shades however this one is just a stand out in my opinion. I wasn't a fan of the cream to powder formulation to start with {girl lemme finish} but this particular pot of eyeshadow just goes on and blends smoother than the others. It looks great as a one wash shadow with some mascara, BOOM. done.

Essie "Mod Square"
Essie's "Mod Square" has been a step out of the comfort zone type of nail polish shade for me. I normally don't ever paint my nails pink as I don't think they suit me, but I had Mod Square sitting on my shelf just waiting to be loved so I gave it a go. It's a bright but not too bright summery shade which I think would go lovely with any skin tone. As it is an Essie nail polish, their formulas are just on point.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer
I have been trialling this concealer for a couple of months and I can finally say that I really like it. I normally struggle with high coverage concealers as they don't do their job and cover up my hyper pigmentation. I decided to splurge on this concealer {without reading reviews..} and I am so glad I took the plunge. It blends really nicely into my foundation to cover up all my dark scars and the coverage is just right with no cakeyness what so ever.

NARS Satin Lipstick in "Niagara"
What a great coral pink! I've had this lipstick for a couple of weeks but cracked it open not long ago and holy moly I love it. First of all the colour is so beautiful and looks so flattering with my skin tone. And because of the satin formula, it applies so smooth and doesn't show the cracks in your lips. Lasting power isn't this lipstick's strongest point but I don't mind because of the colour!!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in "Antwerp"
Oh snap, if there has been one lip colour that I have been loving this month, it's the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in "Antwerp". It is a peachy corally type shade which has a matte formulation. I have talked about a different shade that I own {Milan, if any of you were wondering}, and I am a big fan of the formula when I use my Korres Lip Butter underneath. Something about that combo just eliminates the dryness while providing long lasting colour. oh yes.

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Cream Body Scrub
Again, another product that I have had for weeks and haven't touched until recently! The Vineyard Peach collection is my all time FAVE scent from The Body Shop and I'm so devo that they re-released the collection for a limited amount of time. I managed to get my hands on the cream body scrub and I'm so glad that I did. It smells soooo good, the cream has a whipped butter texture to it which is so lovely and the granules are so fine that it doesn't irritate my skin. I'm a fan!

That was a few favourites to get through but I hoped you enjoyed reading my thoughts! I have planned loads of posts so I hopefully won't be taking a long break again any time soon! What are your current faves?!
xx

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