January Faves 2015

Although January has been exciting month with all the new beauty products that I received and bought for Christmas, I haven't really left the house and makeup has been pretty minimal and repetitive. I had heaps of spare time to get some blogging things done and I hope you guys have liked the new blog design, photo layout and regular posts! I am STOKED with my blog right now!! :D

Bare Minerals The Magic Act Palette
Aside from my mono shadow from The Body Shop, the eyeshadows in this holiday palette have been my go-to. I am literally obsessed with the last three shades in the palette as they look amaZING together. The quality is superb, they blend like a dream and they last all day. I will admit that I haven't used the blushes to their full potential this month as I have been using others. But I have used them each once and I really like how they have a sculpting effect to them. I have to build up the lighter shades but all around, great blushes!

Toni & Guy Sea Salt Texturising Spray
Ever since I cut my hair short, I have to put more effort into how it looks as some days it looks great and others, not so much. I love using this spray after I pop out of the shower and let my hair air dry more than using it to add texture when it's dry. For me, this works best as my hair is out of control wavy and curly and it needs a bit of somethin' somethin' to tame it while making the curls look like nice waves. I hope that made sense.. Either way, wonder product dad-daa-daaaaaa.

Mecca Cosmetica To Save Eyes SPF 30 Hydrating Eye Cream
I got this product in one of the Mecca Beauty Loop boxes and it was pushed away to the sample drawer. As it is summer in Aus, I thought I would whip it out for a little sun protection under my eyes. I love this thing. It has a roller ball application which feels sooooo lovely under the eyes. The coldness makes my eyes feel soothed, moisturised and more awake. I haven't gone a day without using this eye cream!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser
I actually haven't used this concealer for ages and brought it out again when my under eye bags were not up to chanel standard. I like how it conceals like a boss and then brightens the area for faking awake peepers. Fave drugstore concealer for under my eyes!

MAC "Lovelorn"
Again, every time I have worn makeup this month {like twice a week} I have reached for this one majority of the time and other times I have worn a bold lip. I think this lipstick is what I would describe as a toned down barbie pink. Perfect for every day as it has a lustrous finish.

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette
I have been obsessed with this brow pencil like no tomorrow. The lightest touch and BAM, instant brows! The colour is a perfect match and the spoolie is the perfect firmness to make my brows look incredibly blended and natural.

Yaaaaaahoooo! First favourites done and dusted for the year!! I had heaps of spare time to get some blogging things done and I hope you guys have liked the new blog design, photo layout and regular posts! I am STOKED with my blog right now!! :D
xx

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The Christmas Splurge

Mecca. Mecca. Mecca.

I promised myself that I would save my Christmas money, but that all went out the window when I placed an order with a few treats. Everything that I bought were things that I have had my eye on for a VERY long time, but didn't see the need to purchase it at the time. But lo and behold, I was like "new year, new makeup" and bought all the items on my wish list.

First into the basket was the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette. I am such a fan of crayon brow products as most of them have a flat, angled thing going on which is so easy to apply. This brow "pencil" isn't really a pencil, it's retractable and reminds me of a more expensive version of my trusty smash box brow pencil. The colour match is pretty spot on for my brows which is a relief as it was kind of expensive and the colour range was a bit iffy. It also has a spoolie on the other side to brush those brows into place and the packaging in general feels so luxe.

I also picked up the NARS Eyeshadow Duo in "Kalahari" which has been on my wish list since before it got really popular with all the in crowd. There is a vintage bronzy gold which reminds me a little of my MAC "Woodwinked" shadow {and you guys KNOW how much I love that one} and the other shadow is more of a brownish shade with plum undertones which looks incredible when swatched. No matter how many times I took photos, the shades wouldn't show true to colour with this one!! D:  WHY UNIVERSE, WHYYY!??! They are more darker in real life!

The next product was an in store purchase which was the Hourglass Femme Rouge Lipstick in "Edition". I walked in and asked the lady about a nice nude with pink undertones specifically from Hourglass as I'm weird like that. She talked through some of them but my eyes kept reverting to this bad boy. She offered to try it on me and I was like "HECK YEAH" and then it was love at first mirror sight. It has micro glitters in it which give with amazing shine on your lips, making them look plump and healthy. The shade suits my skin tone really nicely and it looks GREAT with an attempt of a smokey eye or wings, always wings.

Another lipstick, as if I don't own enough already. But hey, the heart wants what the heart wants. I purchased the Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Color in "Calypso" which I would describe as a bright pinky coral. MMMHm, I be loving coral lipsticks at the moment and dang this one is so nice. I haven't had the chance to wear it out yet as I've been either at work or at home {#sociallifelvl9000} BUT I'M EXCITED TOO! I've heard great things!

And lastly Bare Minerals bought out some nice sets for the holiday season and I had been eyeing The Magic Act Palette which has a combination of 6 eyeshadows and 4 large blushers. Holy moly. I haven't tried anything from Bare Minerals before, but every time I go into mecca, the display tries to reel me in. The eyeshadow side is what excites me the most as I'm an eyeshadow gal, the third and fourth shade are so pretty!! They all are so creamy and pigmented and blend sooo nicely together! I love how the shades are more on the rosy side with the darker shades having plum undertones. ohhhyeah. There is also one blush that I can't stop looking at with purple/mauvy undertones and can't wait to brush it all over my cheeks too. PLUS the packaging is pure cuteness, black and white with fold out windows!

This will probably be the last time in a while where high end makeup will be hauled like this. I made a beauty resolution to make a serious conscious effort to get through the makeup in my stash! #savethemonies

Have you done any hauling recently?!
Link me up baby, I would love to read your post! :D
xx

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Caramel Flirt

Lately I have abandoned the big ol' bulky palettes and switched to using mono shadows for every day use. One in particular that I can't get enough of is from The Body Shop and it is one of their Color Crush Eyeshadows in "Caramel Flirt". When I swatched this shadow in store, it was pretty but I honestly didn't think much of it. That was until I took it home and tried it on for the first time and holy moly. It was love at first sight. Gettit, eye jokes. PAAAAh. 

There are a whopping 16 mono shades available from The Body Shop and the packaging is super cute being clear so that you can easily spot the shade you want. Like I said before, I bought the shade "Caramel Flirt" which is what I would call a light bronzy brown shade. The eyeshadow is richly pigmented with first swipe, it also has a pearlised finish and looks incredibly natural on the lid. I use this shade alone {swatched above with a primer underneath} but sometimes I use a dark brown with grey undertones on the outer corner to add some extra dimension. Add some mascara and a red lip. Boom, done.

You can use the shadow wet or dry but I prefer to apply it dry but I'd assume that if you apply it wet, the colour would be more intense. What I was impressed with the most is that these eyeshadows are so silky and creamy when you use them, as a result, they are so easy to blend. I honestly can't fault anything with this shadow, I will be using and repurchasing this shade forever!

Have you tried any makeup from The Body Shop before?
I would love to know your thoughts!
xx

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The Big Ol' Lush Sale Haul

Everyone seems to go nuts over the Lush 50% off selected items sale every boxing day so last year I decided to give it a look to see if there were some real good deals. I am going to start off with how incredible BUSY the store was, holy moly I underestimated how crazy it was going to be. It wasn't like there were people stabbing each other with their heels to get the prodz that they wanted, but the store was so tight and full of people. I ended up waiting in line for 45 minutes. yep. let's not talk about it anymore.

SO I DID SOME SHOPPING, yaaaaay!!

I never know what I want from there so I ducked and weaved through the crowd looking at things while trying to read labels {Note for next time, have an idea of what you want to buy}. I picked up a few things that sounded interesting to me and not really if they were popular or not.

The Ocean Sea Salt Scrub was a repurchase as mama lemon and I really enjoyed it the first time we bought it. I would describe the smell as being a sweet salt as it's not like the Big Shampoo where it smells like straight up salt. The texture is so lovely, it's fluffy and you can feel the granules work to remove dead skin. It leaves your skin feeling instantly refreshed and smelling great!

The only product that I kinda wish I didn't buy was the Strawberry Feels Forever Massage Bar. I will say that it does smell like strawberry milk and the whole aesthetic of it being in a strawberry shape is really on point. But when I use it, I can't help feel like I'm like an oily seal which is really sad. It makes all the water droplets just roll of my skin and I can't work with it. BUT it does make your skin feel amazingly soft when you pop out of the shower. Minusing point due to the oiliness.

I managed to get a Rose Jam Shower Gel which I had been waiting to go on sale since the christmas collection came out. Good things come to those who wait, amirite?! It smells like straight up roses and it fills up the whole bathroom with the scent. It lingers on my skin and it somehow makes me feel a little relaxed after I use it.

I saw a tub of the Turkish Delight Shower Smoothie sitting on the shelf next to the Rose Jam Gel and took a whiff of it and then put it straight in my basket. The smell of this body stuff smells like roses too but less strong. The texture is a thick whipped cream which is divine to work into the skin as it goes on so creamy!

Did you manage to buy anything from the Lush sale?
xx

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The Nerd Files #4 | Nerd Faves 2014

Just like the beauty products that I love and talk about, I have some nerd things that I have been loving during 2014 and wanted to share. I won't ramble too much about everything because I know it's not everyone's cup of tea but here are my faves!

I have definitely over indulged in over 20 million gazillion television shows this year so it was difficult to pick a few favourites. I narrowed said 20 million gazillion shows into my top 3 faves.

First up is Arrow, you guys know I have discovered this show at the beginning of the year and have LOVED IT. It's action packed and just sooooo intense {in a good way}. I think I love it even more as I met a couple of cast members which makes my heart burst when I watch the new episodes!

Once Upon A Time is another show that is pure perfection. If you love fairy tales and all that jazz, this is the perfect show for you. It shows the twisted side which makes it 2342345678 times more interesting and when you meet Hook *emoji with heart eyes*

O.m.g brace yourselves. The third show that I have loved this year is Parks and Recreation. This show is SO underrated AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY?? It's hilarious but I must admit that it did take me a couple of episodes to get into it, give it a chance! You won't regret it! PLUS the characters are just brilliant {"BERT MAKLIN. FBI." *puts sunglasses on*, *explosions* okay not the last bit}.

I have read a couple of books and graphic novels this year however one reigned supreme over all of them which was Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell. If you like John Green's books, you will loveeee Rowell's novels too!! I mean, perfect title for self proclaimed fangirl such as myself! It is an incredibly easy read about twins that move to college however one grows up while the other is stuck in this "fangirl" way of life. As you read the book, you see the adventures that the "fangirl" goes on and it was pretty funny too! I would recommend to anyone who has a "young heart" and likes the really good books, boom.

On with the theme of books, this thing would have to be the most random thing I could ever talk about. For my birthday in 2014, my best friend made me this laminated Benedict Cumberbatch Bookmark which is out of this world hilarious and creative. I use it every time I read a new book and I love it.

And of course I had to chuck in a beauty favourite, BUT IT'S THE SHADE not the fact that it is a nail polish {does that count?!}. I have mentioned a million times on this blog before, Essie "Butler Please" is a royal blue shade that instantly reminds me of the TARDIS {the blue box from Doctor Who, for the non nerdy people}. UGH I LOVE THIS SHADE! Every time I wear it, I always get compliments too so winner winner chicken dinner, amirite?!

What has been your favourite nerdy thing OR TV SHOW this year?!!? I would really love to know!!
xx

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2014 Beauty Faves

2014 has been a year with experimenting with new and exciting beauty products. With the amount of makeup that I own now, it became extremely difficult to narrow my faves down into one tiny post without it being the length of the longest Harry Potter book. I chose a couple of products from each "beauty department" if you will, e.g. skincare, nails, eyes etc!

EYES

The Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette has been a staple shadow palette in my collection. I use it on the days where my eyes need a minimal lift with a coat of mascara. The colours are just perfect as they are on the warmer side but overall, work great with all of my other shadows. Like all Urban Decay Eyeshadows, they are buttery soft, greatly pigmented and extremely blendable.

MAC "Woodwinked" has literally been my favourite gold eyeshadow since I discovered it earlier last year. It's not overly gold and shimmery, it's what I would describe as a vintage gold {having brownish undertones}. This shadow makes my heart sing, definitely swatch it next time you are at the MAC counter.

2014 was the year of finishing all my open mascaras so that I would only have two open at once. One mascara in particular was the L'oreal Volume Excess Mascara which served my lashes well. It makes my lashes look amazing with how it separates, gives volume and doesn't clump. LOVE.

My go-to brow product this year has been the Smashbox Brow Tech To Go and the reason why I love it so much is that the colour is just perfect for my cool toned dark brows! It's easy to apply and makes your brows look natural. It also comes with a brow gel on the other side which i'm not too fussed about as it makes my brows feel a lil crunchy but it stays on all day without moving which is the main goal with brow products RIGHT!?

LIPS 

There has been LOADS of lipstick favourites for 2014 and it pains me to only pick a couple. But one of my most used lipsticks this year has been MAC "Sweetie" which is a lovely pink shade which is perfect for everyday as it has a lustrous finish.

One drugstore favourite lip product has been the Revlon Lip Butter in "Sweet Tart" which I have talked about non stop this year, I'm surprised that I'm not sick of it yet! I love the lip butters for when you literally don't want to put too much effort in or your lips are in a state where lipstick won't go down too well. Love, love, love.

Another lip favourite has been the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creme in "Milan" which is more of a girly pink with a matte finish. I have a few different shades of these and I cannot believe how amazing they are. Paired with a Korres Lip Butter, it's not as drying and the colour lasts longer.

The bold lip award goes to the duo of NARS Matte Lip Pencil in "Red Square" and MAC "Lady Danger". You guys know that I love this duo with a passion. There is something about a hot orange red that is just my cup of tea. Also, considering that both of these products are matte, it doesn't feel that drying on the lips when you prep hardcore a couple of days before.

NAILS

Essie "Lilacism" has been a solid favourite polish for 2014. It's the perfect pastel purple and from what I can gather, it pretty much looks flattering on all skin tones. Also, it's one of those polishes that suit all the seasons!

Another polish that I love especially in the spring/summer months is Essie "Watermelon". I'm not normally one for pinks, but there is something special about this one. It makes my hands look incredibly tanned for starters, and I think it is the perfect fuchsia pink for the non-girly girl.

Oh hey, another Essie polish aye, well yes. I own TOO many {OH THE SHAME}. My hands down FAVE POLISH EVER in terms of colour is definitely Essie "Trophy Wife". I can't believe I haven't confessed my love for it before until now but yES! The perfect metallic mermaid blue and the formula is so on point, it makes me and my nails VERY HAPPY! 

SKINCARE

One stand out skincare product of 2014 was the REN Radiance Perfection Serum which has made such an amazing difference with my skin. It works to reduce the redness on your face while also subtle fading hyper pigmentation. I have used it since I bought it a couple of months ago and I literally can't go a day without using it as it makes my face look healthy and alive.

Another Skin care product I have been loving is the Sukin Hydrating Toner Mist, which again, I can't live without. A single spritz calms my skin and doesn't cause any irritation whatsoever. Overall, great product for those that have easily aggravated skin.

FACE

I have a feeling that the NARS Sheer Glow Foundation will be a solid favourite in most beauty bloggers favourites and I definitely would have to agree. There is something about the way that this foundation sits and looks on my skin that is just so natural and it's SO NICE.

Concealer wise, I would have to say that the Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer would reign supreme. It has the perfect amount of coverage to cover all my hyper pigmentation without looking cakey or creasing. I'm glad I discovered this concealer, it has changed up my whole foundation routine {however, I don't use this and Sheer Glow together - story for another day}.

YAS, favourite blush of the year is hands down the Clinique Cheek Pop in "Ginger Pop". This blush is the perfect muted peach shade that blends seamlessly and looks so natural on the cheeks. It gives such a nice warmth to the face during the colder months but looking at it now, I want to whip it out during summer!

Another blush that I have LOVED in 2014 was the Bourjois Baked Blush in "Rose Frisson". Apart from the smell {which doesn't transfer}, the shade of the blush is second to none. It must be one of the few blushes that I own that are the perfect pinky shade for my skin tone. Every time I wear this blush, it sculpts my face without too much effort and is so versatile with anything I pair it with.

PHHEEEWWW! That was a lot of faves to get through. If you made it this far, kisses. Obviously there were so many more that I didn't include because this post would take you a million years to read. HUZZAH, onto the new year and discovering, trying and loving new {and old} products!

I would love to read your yearly faves, link it below so I can take a sticky beak! :D
xx

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Festive Faves 2014

Hope you enjoy the few products that I have loved and used for the second half of December which happen to be more on the festive side. When I say festive, I didn't mean the colour red, COINCIDENCE! I mean the prodz that I generally enjoyed using during the festive season! :D

First up is what I would gladly say is my favourite red lipstick of all time!! I don't own that many reds but NARS Audacious Lipstick in "Rita" knocks them out of the park. I literally wrote a whole post dedicated to this baby {It's HERE}. The perfect scarlet red that suits my skin tone properly without making my face look like a tomato or dull. ALSO, the perfect Christmas Lipstick!

I wouldn't say that I normally match my nails with my lipstick but for some reason the Holiday season brought the wild out of me! I have had the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color in "Cherry Red" in my collection for ages but use it during the party seasons during the year as it again, is the perfect cherry-ish red. Looks great with glitter too might I add. As it was like Christmas week with my whhhoolleeee family, I needed something that would last and this baby did a good 4 days without chipping!

And finally, the last product that I have been obsessed with this month has well and truly been The Body Shop Frosted Cranberry Body Polish. It smells amazing, fills the whole bathroom with sweet cranberries. The jelly texture mixed with soft granules make the perfect scrub for every day use! 

Dat's it homeslice. A full year of monthly faves done and dusted!

I'M READY FOR THE NEW YEAR!
{also the full 2014 sha-bang of faves will be uploaded soon}
xx

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The Blog In 2015

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wishing you all a safe and happy 2015!

It's two thousand and fifteen. 

At the beginning of 2014, I did a post with some personal goals to complete during the year. I managed to fulfil some of those goals which I am proud of, but this year I wanted to do something different. I wanted to make some goals in regards to this little blog. Some may call it their "blogging resolutions" blah blah and they all type the same thing. I have come up with some different goals for my blog that hopefully you really enjoy!

1. Posts: Okay so this may be the most common one, but I really want to make a solid commitment to uploading posts more often. I haven't come up with a schedule or anything because THE PRESSURE! But I'm planning to post regularly!

2. Experiment: I don't know about you, but I'm getting sick of the way my blog photos look. I always battle with lighting and my photos just look a bit flat. This year, I want to mix my blog photos up by adding more textures, different backgrounds and angles {#fotofancy}. 

3. Nerd Files: YASSS, 2015 will be the glorious return of The Nerd Files which, for those who don't know, is a series on my blog where I talk about all the nerdy things in my life. It's one of my favourite types of posts to write and I'M BRINGING IT BACK!

4. Blog Design: Another common one, but I have had the same blog design since I started blogging. I have tried redoing it multiple times and didn't like the outcome, but I will attempt to do it again and see how I go! But if you recommend any blog designers who are budget friendly, let me know! :)

What are your blogging resolutions for this year?

xx

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