Friday 27 September 2013

Everyday Makeup Routine!

Before..... (ewies!)
After....

















My morning makeup routine starts after my moisturiser has fully sunk in, and my skin is ready to go. I start with my Bourjois Flower Perfection primer; just in the spots where my pores are most apparent and any uneven areas. I also put some under my eyes and on my eye lid to help keep concealer and eye shadow in place.



After using that, I use the Revlon Photoready Skinlights illuminator, which basically just leaves my skin looking shimmery. It's supposed to help with reflecting light in the right way so that makeup always looks flawless. I got this as a full sized product from a Lust Have It! box, which is amazing! (I'm still testing it out, but so far I think it makes a difference to how the finish comes out.







Next is concealer. I first use the Maybelline Colour Corrector which is a green concealer stick to use on redness. On top, to cover the green (obviously) I use the Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in Ivory, which I also put under my eyes and on my eye lids while I'm at it.





Foundation comes next, and I tend to like to use a different one every day or so, but one of my favourites at the moment is the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in Vanilla. I start on the left hand side of my face on the side of my nose and blend outwards, paying special attention to the jaw line (blending is essential) and any red areas. I then do the same on the right hand side of my face, and then my forehead (starting in the middle and working out).








Next I use blush and bronzer. I use these before my powder because it gives a more subtle look, which is great for every day. The bronzer I've been using is the Revlon Color Stay Finishing Powder in 020 Suntan Matte. This just goes into the divots on the cheeks (making a fishy face helps to see where they are). Blush goes on the apples of the cheeks (smiling helps to see), and I blend it up and out towards my temples.





The Bourjois Healthy Balance powder in Vanilla goes on top to set, and then it's onto the eyes!






First I do eyebrows. I'm only just trying out different eyebrow pencils, so it's only a cheap one from Priceline, in the colour Blonde. I just fill them lightly and comb through.
Next is eye shadow. I use my BYS pallet a lot these days. It has great nude and subtle brown colours. I start with a medium brown colour over the lid, then use the lightest peachy brown on the brow bone and in the inner part of the eye lid, then the darkest brown in the crease (blending down the outside of the lid and along most of the crease line).

Sticking to browns, I use a brown eye liner and only bring it about half-way along the lash line. Lately I've been using a white eye liner in the water line on the bottom (apparently it helps makes your eyes look more awake). I then grab an angled brush to soften the brown eye liner and blend it further along.

I've only just purchased the Maybelline the Falsies mascara and so far, so good!






After that, ALL DONE! I usually also use the 150th Anniversay Limited Edition Bourjois finishing powder which just leaves everything looking airbrushed.





And that's it! It seems like a lot, and I certainly don't do this every day of the week. If I'm going to work or going out all day, I will, but if I'm only staying at home or popping out quickly, I'll just use a BB cream, powder and mascara. 

Remember, it's not good for your skin to wear makeup every day, so if you're not going anywhere special, stick to MINIMAL makeup or, if you're brave enough, none at all!

Stay beautiful. :)

Wednesday 25 September 2013

My Skincare Routine: Oily/Combination

Being a teen as I still am (thought not far away from being 20), I am quite used to pimples, oil, blemishes, red patches, the lot. During puberty my skin had a constant splatter of pimples on my forehead and chin. Nowadays I tend to have only a couple pimples, but they're huge buggers - and those painful-to-touch ones too, ouchies :(

So my skin type has moved from being hormonal-crazy-puberty-oiliness to oily-combination, which basically just means that some parts of my face are oily, while others are normal or dry. My skin tends to get most oily in the 'Bermuda Triangle' area, as I've heard it called, which is just the area from the end of your nose and chin but in a triangular type shape. My forehead, even extending to my hairline is oily, and around my jaw line. Everywhere else is what I would classify as 'normal'. Every now and then I will get dry patches around those oily places, especially my chin/mouth area, which is horrid!

So anyway, now you see what type of skin I have; a bit unruly and not very consistent.
So if your skin is like this, my skin routine may just be the greatest thing ever for you, but maybe not.
If you are really struggling to find skincare products that are right for you, why not give one or more of these a try?

My everyday skincare routine has changed only recently, so I figured I would show you the old routine and the new one, because I know that many young girls and guys - like myself when I was 16ish - don't have all the money to spend on expensive face products. The old routine is a lot less expensive and most - if not all - the products are easily accessible (depending on what country you live in, of course), and the new routine is an upgrade I splurged on recently and is the ultimate best thing ever, but yes, much more expensive (I'll give RRP's for all the products listed (and if I can remember) how much I paid for them, because I'm the biggest bargain hunter ever.

The Old Routine...


These products where part of my old routine (and some are still part of it now), and they are all great!
On the far left is a pharmacy pimple cream Benzac AC which has 100mg/g of benzoyl peroxide; the stuff that dries out your skin to get rid of pimples. This is the 10% one, which is the strongest one in the range. If you are only just starting with using it, use the 2.5% solution first, then move onto the 5% before going to the 10%, otherwise you may find it could over-dry your skin, causing an over-production of oil.

Next across is the Natio Young oil free moisturiser. It says it 'absorbs rapidly', 'softens as it hydrates' and is 'light and non-greasy'. Too true, my friendly packaging. For a product that is only $9.95 (http://www.natio.com.au/products/skincare-young) it certainly does the job it says it does. It's light and moisturising without the oily residue. It does, however, take a little bit to properly sink in, so leave it on for a bit before putting any makeup over the top.

The tub in front was a huge skin savior for me. I always avoided moisturisers because of my oily skin, thinking that it would only make it worse. But with my Natio moisturiser and this, oh my gosh.
It's the Innoxa Skin Clear Clarifying Night Complex. I was so lucky when I found this, as it was on clearance in Priceline for $5, when it's usually worth around $20 or more. Unfortunately I'm guessing that it's no longer available, as it's no longer in priceline and it's not even on the Innoxa website (http://www.innoxa.com.au/skin-care/skin-range/oily-~-combination).
The stuff is great though. I used to put it on before I went to bed, and in the morning my skin just felt heavenly. It's so poopy that they don't have it any more! :( Wah!

The next one is the Nivea Visage Young Stay Clear! Purifying Toner. Pretty much just a standard toner really. It's the only toner I'd used up until last night, and it does the job. Just taking the last little bits of product build up and makeup and oil from your face before moisturising. I only used this at night (or morning if I was feeling particularly iffy), and yeah, it just...did its thing, really.

The last thing is my favourite all-time use-this-forever face product, which is my Body Shop Seaweed Deeo Cleansing Facial Wash (or Algues Gel Nettoyant En Profondeur Visage, if you prefer reading the French bit). I literally actually remember using this face wash for the first time at my friend's house. I was hooked after that. It foams great in the shower (though not so well out of the shower) and gave my skin that tingly fresh feeling. Mmmmm! You know that feeling on your lips when you use a peppermint lip balm? Tingly fresh. That, but on your face. It feels like you've washed your face with ice cold water.
I can't even find the right words to speak highly enough of this product. Get onto it.
It's a little more pricey than say, a Garnier, Nivea or drugstore facewash, but it's worth it. It costs $18.95 (http://www.thebodyshop.com.au/SubCategory.aspx?Id=62&Page=2), which to be honest - for me at the time - was a little steep, but it lasts AGES and is worth every cent!




The New Routine...

My new skincare regime is a bit more moolah-out-the-window, but worth it.
On the far left is my LUSH Vanishing Cream. 'A low-fat lavender moisturiser that disappears into the skin, leaving nothing behind except beautifully soft skin. Wonderful on oily skin or on T-Zones, this is out best-selling moisturiser.'
The ingredients listing is huge, but basically it's my dream daytime moisturiser. It sinks it wonderfully, has a nice smell (lavender) and leaves my skin perfect. Not dry, not tacky, not shiny. Perfect. This would be great for anything with oily skin. It does cost $39.95 per 45g pot, but don't worry, it will last ages, depending on how much you use. I personally just dab my finger print part of my pointer finger in and then use whatever sticks when it comes up.
Absolutely fantastic stuff, I highly highly recommend this for any oily skin or combination skin!

Next is my Body Shop Seaweed Pore Perfector. To be honest, I haven't noticed a real difference since using this, but I keep using it, just in case it takes a little bit to start working well. Basically it's supposed to make your pores appear smaller and help fight blemishes. I have big pores around my nose and the bottom part of my forehead, so I've been using it there, but as I said, no real results yet. I thought maybe there was, but I think I might of been seeing things, as the hopeful person I am.

Again there is my pimple cream; fantastic stuff, and costs about $15 depending on where you get it from.

Next is the new toner I picked up yesterday. It's the [A'kin] Orange Blossom and Chamomile Refreshing and Soothing Toner with Witch Hazel and Vitamin B5. So it says it 'rebalances and hydrates skin'. I've only used it once so far, but I actually noticed a good difference between this and the Nivea one. It smelt better (more fruity), made my skin felt less..umm...chemically worn, and felt more refreshing. I can't give the greatest review just yet, but my first impressions are good! I picked this up in Priceline for only $2 on clearance, but it is usually worth about $19.95 again depending on where you get it (http://www.purist.com/akin-face-care/toners).

Again my Seaweed face wash; A.K.A my holy grail.

And finally my LUSH Gorgeous face moisturiser. I use this one at night time, as it is much more rich. I figure that if my skin is combination, I need to both fight oiliness and hydrate well. So, fight oiliness in the day, and hydrate at night. This moisturiser is the greatest thing. Oh my. It IS expensive. Oh yes, it is. But the ingredients list is MASSIVE and a lot of the ingredients are cold pressed (which just means that you get the best out of the ingredient). It smells so fruity and floraly and sweet and just amazing. I put it on my skin and I am constantly trying to smell it. It is $74.95 (http://www.lush.com.au/shop/product/search&keyword=gorgeous), but I think it's worth it. I doubted that a few times, but when I thought about it, I'm only using it at night, so it's going to last AGES and it really does make my skin feel great.
For oily skin, only use a small amount, as it is quite rich. For normal/dry skin, use more. Just use to your skin type.


Pamper time!
Once a week (sometimes twice) I give myself a sort of facial. This usually just entails a face mask along with my usually skin regime. 



These are sort of the main two I use. On the left is the Innoxa Skin Clear Purifying Mask, and I also really like the SkinVitals face mask range. The one here is best suited for oily skin: the T-Purify Anti-spot Cleansing Clarifying cloth facial treatment mask. It has tea-tree and rosemary in it. Tea tree is supposed to be really great for oil control and blemishes, and rosemary is a good skin tonic for cleansing. It also has eucalytpus extract which is to help sooth, refresh and cool the skin.

Don't use face treatments or masks every day. They are a more intensive skin product that will over dry and over work your skin if used too often.

I do love to use face masks in the bath though; SO relaxing!


So there you go, my everyday skincare regime for my oily/combination skin. If you have any holy-grail face products you use that you think I should try, please comment them! I love trying new things and writing about them here!

Till next time, stay clear!

Saturday 21 September 2013

What's in my Every Day Travel Makeup Bag?

It seems to be a popular thing to let people know what you take with you when you travel. I myself up until lately had been going back and forth from my house to my boyfriend's house every night, so I ended up just having a small travel bag in my handbag all the time. It has dwindled down a lot now, but I do still take these things with me everywhere, so anything in there is deemed ultimately necessary. ;)

My handy toiletries bag was bought from Cotton On for $5, and looks like this.



So it has two different compartments, which is great, because I love things to be organised!
In the compartments are a few different pockets and a zip open pocket as well as small pockets perfectly sized for lip balms or glosses.





In one of the pockets I keep a small packet of Kleenex Tissues, some mints, a tester sized perfume spray of Marc Jacobs Daisy, a small container with a bit of my Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (the small tubs I just bought from a $2 dollar shop!), some bobby pins, some panadol and that's it!




In the other pocket I keep my lip things. So I have one of my Bourjois Color Boost lipsticks (Peach On The Beach), a boring old Carmex, a Burt's Bees lip balm in Mango Butter, a Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 103, and a cheap plumping lipgloss from eBay called Uouo Plump Lip gloss.







That is actually it for my travel bag, as in EVERYDAY travel bag. My overnight/holiday type of bag is totally different and so much bigger and scarier! Ahh!

What do you take with you every day? Do you have a bag like me, or just chuck anything you need straight in you handbag? I love to know about everyone else's business just as much as you, so please link me or comment what your transport makeup/beauty items are like!

Wednesday 18 September 2013

My Makeup Collection and Storage

My makeup collection has grown a lot this year. Maybe it's because I've finished school now and I actually have time to think about myself and what I want to do and be. Since becoming an absolute YouTube junkie the past nine months, I've started purchasing some of the items that my beauty bloggers talk about and review.

So I thought I would share my collection with you. Be aware that this is only the stuff I keep in my room. I keep my face washes, scrubs, fake tan, shower gels etc in the bathroom. My collection isn't that big, but trust me, it'll be getting bigger, so I'll do an update one day so you can all see just how obsessed I am right now.


So this is it. Well kinda. I have a couple miscellaneous things lying around, like my Blistex that always stays on my bedside table, but this is mostly it.
The top shelf has all my hair care stuff on the left, including: Lee Stafford shampoo, conditioner and treatment for hair that 'doesn't grow past a certain length', Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray, an Argan Oil leave-in treatment, Redken Extreme Anti-snap treatment (amazing stuff), and some tea-tree oil and water mix in a spray bottle (I use this the night before I wash my hair to help with oiliness and to wash off build up of product).

The black starry box thing has all medical stuff like old antibiotics I stopped taking half way through, antiseptic creams etc. (On top of that box is my mostly used shampoo and conditioner: Redken Full Body; I use this every second day, except for once a week when I will use my Lee Stafford stuff along with the treatment :))

Now, onto the face/makeup stuff!


The zebra print box on the left contains all my face things that I use regularly plus a few extras I use sporadically. I will list these, as I have many face products...



  1. Lush face moisturiser samples; Vanishing Cream, Gorgeous and Skin's Shangri La.
  2. Avene Thermal Spring Water spray
  3. Simple radiance brightening eye cream
  4. The Body Shop seaweed pore perfector
  5. Garnier Roll-on for under eyes (to help with under eye bags)
  6. Nivea Visage young Stay Clear! Purifying Toner
  7. Benzac AC water based acne gel 10%
  8. Natio Young oil free moisturiser
  9. The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector (yes, I know this isn't face but I use it at night after I've finished all my face routine!)
  10. 30g tube of Sudocrem
  11. Lacura Face Care Renew Multi Intensive Serem
  12. L'Oreal Ideal Skin Genesis Pore Minimizer serum
  13. Beauty Care green tea facial wipes 
  14. Woolworths homebrand make-up removal pads
The next box acroos (the round pink one) has bath and pamper things. There are two LUSH bath bombs (Dragon's Egg and  Rose Queen), NP Set Shanghai Ginger Bath Salts, Innoxa Skin Clear Purifying Mask, and various face masks from Skinvitals.

So that's all of the stuff that's non-makeup, but here comes the makeup, YUM!

In the pink soda-can-like tin at the back (which is a free gift from Bourjois when you spend $25 or more at Priceline), contains all my eye liners, lip liners, brow pencils, mascaras, a pair of tweezers and a pencil sharpener. I own four eye liners (three pencil, one liquid), two brow pencils, one lip liner (in nude), and two mascaras.



In the little black spotted box in front, I have all my eye shadows. Now, I know that most beauty lovers have a HUGE collection of eye shadows, but I just don't. In fact, most of the time I don't really wear eye shadow, and if I do, I'll do a subtle brown smokey eye. But ANYWAY, I have a Savvy mineral baked eye shadow in stardust, a L'Oreal Color Infallible in 05 Flashback Silver, a BYS Eyeshadow 6-pack, two very cheap eye shadow 6-packs by lol in 01 Black Betty and 04 By the Seaside, a Covergirl smokey shadow blast two ended eye shadow stick and a Models Inc eyeshadow in number 3.


In the black and white striped box to the back, I have all my lip products (not including the ones in my travel bag). I'll list these too, as there is quite a few...


  1. Bourjois Color Boost Lipstick in 04 Peach on the Beach
  2. 2 boe beauty Jump Wind Up Lips in #22 Bourdoir Pink and #21 Manic Pink
  3. 2 Burt's Bees lip balms in Beeswax and Acai Berry
  4. australis matte me Lipstick Mattifying Base
  5. BYS Diamond Shine Lipgloss in 01 Panther Pink
  6. Rimmel Apocolips in 101 Celestial
  7. Neautrogena Naturals lip balm
  8. w7 Tutti Fruity High Moisture Lip Gloss in Peach
  9. Maybelline ColorSensational lipstick in 416 Coral Fever
  10. 4 Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balms in Cherry Velvet, Mixed Berry, Pink Lolita and Berry Crush
  11. australis lip treatment trio
  12. 2 Rimmel Kate Moss lipsticks in 111 Kiss Of Life and 26 
  13. Model Co Lipgloss
  14. Covergirl natureluxe gloss balm in 205 Tulip
  15. BYS lipstick in Coral Kiss
  16. Nivea Soft Rose lip balm
  17. Covergirl Outlast lipstain in 435 Flirty Nude
  18. Miki Lip Sorbet lip balm in Watermelon
  19. Nature's Care Paw Paw lip balm


In the clear container I keep all my primers, blushers, bronzers,  BB Creams and there are 2 concealers which wouldn't fit in with the others.
In here I have two BB Creams (Garnier's for Oily/combination skin and Maybelline Dream Pure), two bronzers (Revlon ColorStay Mineral Finishing Powder and Nude By Nature's Mineral Bronzer), three blushes (Bourjois' in 34 Golden Rose, Rimmel Wake Me Up in 001 Flush Of Pearl, and Savvy's classic blush in silky pink), two primers (Bourjois flower perfection primer and australis' Face Base Primer: oil free), and the two concealers which shouldn't be there.

In the NEXT container you will see my brushes. There isn't many, I know, but don't worry, there are some on the way in the mail as we speak...as I type...whatever. So I have some ecotools ones which I love (they were the first brushes I ever bought), which includes a powder brush, a foundation brush, and two smaller brushes, which I'm sure you're supposed to use to eyeshadow, but I use for skin-coloured and non-skin-coloured concealers. There is also an angled brush that I use for under-eye shadow and sometimes for an eye liner effect using eye shadow, and an eyebrow/eyelash brush.
I have one other brand brush which is a Models Prefer MP11 Foundation Brush (still unused!).


As for my concealers, they are well hidden at the back behind foundation in a small yellow container. I have a fair few but I always use the same ones. I have in this container my Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in 010 Ivory, Models Prefer liquid concealer in light, Maybelline Cover Stick concealer and a Covergirl & Olay simply ageless eye concealer in 215 (which is probably a light beige colour; it's a bit too dark for my skin).

Last one is my foundation box. This contains all my liquid foundations, powder foundations, creme foundation and finishing powders. (I think I'll list this one too, to make reading a bit less tedious).
In order from the list, I have;


  1. Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation in 100 Ivory
  2. Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation in 52 Vanilla
  3. Models Prefer liquid foundation in Ivory
  4. L'Oral Bare Naturale gentle mineral powder in 410 Light Ivory
  5. Rimmel Stay Matte pressed powder in 001 Transparent
  6. Almay line smoothing powder in 100 Light
  7. Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder in 52 Vanilla
  8. BYS Creme Foundation in Light Beige
  9. Bourjois Universal Illuminating Powder
  10. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Protector Finishing Powder in Nude
  11. and a Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Light 2 (Classic Ivory); WAY too dark for my skin! Have to use this as a light bronzer!
So that is my whole (mostly) collection! In my next post I will show you a "what's in my travel makeup bag?" type of thing, so you can see what I take on the go!


Peace out, beauties xx

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Bourjois Haul!

Oh Bourjois, how I love thee...

Boujois, established in 1863, but first created by a theatre artist by the name Joseph-Albert Ponsin who gave the whole establishment to his friend Alexandre-Napoleon Bourjois. Monsieur Bourjois made the company blossom and become internationally known.

Priceline (my all-time favourite store) has a nice little stall for Bourjois products, and every time there's a sale, I buy. So over the last couple of months I've collected seven of their products from great sales and free gift sales!
The first two items I purchased (my first ever purchases from the Bourjois range) were two Color Boost lipsticks in Peach on the Beach and Orange Punch.
Umm...it's upside down..? OOPS!

These two colours are so lovely. One is a peachy pink colour that's really subtle and nice, and the other is a deep orange, but comes out as a nice coral on the lips. They are super glossy, but I do find that the glossiness wears off quicker than I'd hoped, which is sad, because I love them so much. :(

The second product I purchased is actually part of the 150th year celebratory thing Bourjois are doing at the moment. Apparently they have reproduced one of the first products that made them expand exponentially back in the eighteen hundreds. It is a loose finishing illuminating powder (really multi-use), which smells like roses which is devine.
I've noticed a few of their products smell lightly of roses, which I adore. I hate that strange smell that some makeup has. Ick.
Anyway, it looks like this...


Such lovely vintage packaging which is not exactly the same as the first one that came out, nor am I guessing it has the same ingredients as the first product. The first product looked like the image below and contained mother or pearl (I don't know if cosmetic brands use this anymore) and was mixed with liquid and oven-baked.





I'm guessing that the celebratory product I purchased does the old one justice. It's cute, it smells nice, and it really makes a different on my face.
I tend to like a very subtle blush and bronzer look, so I'll put powder over the top, but once I bought this, I put this over the top of that, and it really made a difference.
My face looked airbrushed. I didn't think a translucent powder would make such a difference, but my face looked so much more radiant and just a little shimmery. Just healthy, really.

A-a-amazing!


So, naturally after these three great products I fell in love with, I HAD to keep my eyes peeled for more deals.

You'll never guess the bargain I got today, oh golly gosh. Priceline (yes, I know, I'm obsessed) had a deal going where if you spend over $25, you received a lovely gift apparently worth over $45, as a part of the 150th celebration. So here is what it was and what was in it.






This pretty little vintage soda-can look tin (the top comes off and it makes a great storage tin for eyeliners!









These two little beauties came with it. A little pot blusher in
34 Rose d'or or Golden Rose, and a flower perfection smoothing primer. 
Now the blush is usually $20, and the primer is usually $25, so yes, it is worth $45, but the TIN, oh yes. I love it, perfect for storage. I haven't used either of the blush or primer yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to do a review.

I'm sure you're wondering now, "well wait, what did you buy that was over $25 to get this free gift?"
And the answer to that is even better, because it came with another free gift!!

Another deal they had going was that if you bought the Bourjois Healthy Mix foundation, you got a free Healthy Balance powder. And luckily for me there was one left...in my shade(vanilla)! So, being suspicious of such great deals as I am, I went and asked a lady who worked there if both the powder and the free gift would come up as being for nothing. At this stage, by the way, I didn't know how much the foundation was, but even if it was $45 I was still getting all the items half price plus a free tin, not to mention the powder, if I was lucky.

Turns out that it DID go through, and the foundation was $32, so I ended up with all this stuff up there, plus this;


Foundation, powder, blush, primer and a tin for $32. WOW.
Just to make it more amazing, here's the math...


1. Healthy Mix foundation = $32
2. Healthy Balance powder = $20
3. Pot blusher = $20
4. Primer = $25


That is $97 worth of Bourjois products for $32. 

Excuse while I go run for joy.
 Bourjoise is a gorgeous brand, and seems to be specially made for fair skinned gals like myself; very light, shimmery and...princess like. I can't wait to try the blush, primer, foundation and powder! The only downside is that a lot of the packaging is in French, but usually there is an English translation either on the product or on the shelf. Either way, keep and eye out for sale Bourjois items, as they are absolutely amazing!


Models Prefer: The Secret Complexion Collection

So, as per usual for a shopping trip, I was looking in Priceline to see if I could find any great bargains. And yes, I certainly did.

On clearance at the back of the store was a whole heap of these Models Prefer 'The Secret Complexion Collection' for $10.
In the box was a 30mL liquid foundation, a 15mL liquid concealer, a foundation brush and two foundation sponges. WOW! So the boxes were coded by skin shades. There was (from memory) Ivory, Tan, Beige, and Nude. Being pale-faced like the weird vampire I am, I got Ivory.


I wasn't expecting a lot from this, but I'd been wanting to try a few different liquid foundations and concealers as I had been only using BB Creams and creamy stick concealers.
For $10, I am a VERY satisfied customer.
Now here's the bit I love most; the normal retail prices of these...

  1. Liquid foundation; usually $17.99
  2. Liquid concealer; usually $5.99
  3. Foundation Brush; usually $14.99
  4. Sponges; (I couldn't find a price for these but I'm guessing they'd be between $5-$10)
So, that would be usually around $40 or more (depending on how much the sponges are) for $10!
THANK YOU PRICELINE I LOVE YOU!


I found it strange though, that on the back of the box in the descriptions it says that your concealer should be 'a shade lighter' than your foundation. I could be just me, but in the photo on the left, doesn't it look like the concealer (top) is a shade DARKER than the foundation (bottom)?

The foundation is fantastic. It's oil free and leaves a matte finish which is great for oilier skin like mine. It has light/medium coverage and stays all day on my skin. When I put the Stay Matte powder over the top to set, it just stays put all day long.

The concealer is too dark for my skin and doesn't really cover the blemishes on my skin that well. It would do fine if you had mild redness or a few faint scars, but on the bright redness and pimples I get, it doesn't do the trick.


I haven't quite got around to using the foundation brush just yet, as I'm still using my Eco Tools brushes that I love. One of the sponges I have used to replace an old one from my creme foundation and have only used it once, but it did the job (as I'm guessing most sponges would).

Overall, the greatest purchase ever! Woo! I was boasting about this to everyone, which most didn't give two hoots about, but I didn't care, because oh my god, I only spent $10 on something worth about $40.

There's nothing quite like a bargain!

From the Bargain Queen ;) xx

Monday 16 September 2013

LUSH Haul!

I was only recently introduced to LUSH through my lovely YouTube beauty gurus and a friend who knows her way around the Fountain Gate shopping centre. I had no idea there was a LUSH store there! 

So...I bought stuff. And then went back...and bought even more stuff. OOPS! ;)



I'd watched on Zoella's YouTube videos (http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWRV5AVOlKJR1Flvgt310Cw) that the Dragon's Egg Bath Ballistic was amazing. It has such lovely ingredients such as lemon oil and bergamot oil, jasmine and gardenia, as well as golden glitter and and orange colour in the middle. It is going to be such a lovely scent; uplifting and invigorating, whilst fizzing away, colouring the bath and making it all glittery! Ohh I can't wait to use this!

The other bath bomb is called Rose Queen Bath Ballistic which is "a rose tinted spectacles bath, for times when all you want to see is the rosier side of life". Who doesn't think that sounds fantastic? Rosy smells are so calming and relaxing. This would be perfect for a cosy night in to relax and pamper yourself!
(P.S - Both of the bath bombs were around $5 each, and most LUSH bath bombs are between $4 and $10)

Secondly, I bought two facial moisturisers. Okay, well, I bought ONE of them, and the other my boyfriend payed for (because he's a doll). The one I paid for is called Gorgeous. WOW this stuff is incredible. It smells heavenly and is really hydrating to the skin. I will be using this at night time as it is quite rich on my skin, and I wouldn't want to wear makeup over the top of it. I wake up after using this the night before and my skin looks bright, clean, fresh. OH it's just sooo good!
I bought the tester for both Gorgeous and the Vanishing Cream when I was in LUSH last time, and just after a few days, I wanted the full sized product.
Gorgeous has the longest list of ingredients ever, which include things like olive oil, avocado oil, evening primrose oil, grapeseed oil which are all Organic Cold Pressed, which means that basically the oils are in the best state to get the benefits from them.

This skin cream might be $75 a pot, but my gosh is it good.

The Vanishing Cream is great for skin-types like mine where I get oily during the day when I wear makeup and sweat, etc. This product is light on the skin and contains soothing and mild properties so its good oily/combination skin.

This one only cost $39.95, but is still going to be part of my daily routine, as daytime moisturiser, with Gorgeous being my night time moisturiser.

Because I spent SO MUCH money in there, the lady serving me gave me a free sample of a solid deoderant, which I'm still a little too scared to try, and a sample of the Dreamwash Shower Smoothie, which is a face wash. It is extremely thick and a light pink colour. It looks like it should be a face mask, but I just grab a small amount on my fingertips and massage into my face for a little bit and then leave to sit before washing off.


I also thought I'd buy their other tester they had for moisturisers which is called Skin's Shangri La. With Almond oil, Jojoba oil, Aloe Vera, Evening Primrose oil and Beeswax just to name a few, this moisturiser is soft and gentle on the skin, providing enough moisturisation without causing irritation to sensitive skin types. I haven't tested this one out yet, as I'm still hooked on my Vanishing Cream and Gorgeous, but when I do try it, I'll be doing a review.


OH LUSH, why do you make me want to spend all my money on your products?!

Definitely try LUSH out. Everything is homemade and organic, so although it may seem pricey, there are NO harsh chemicals in any of the products and everything is homely and beautiful. They will even give you a free facial and mask!
I'm SO there!

(OH, by the way, if you're interested in looking up any of their products, here's their website!)
http://www.lush.com.au/

Burt's Bees Lip Balms: All The Hype?

Burt's Bees Lip Balms. I have heard a fair hype about these. As a compiler of lip products, as you've seen, I had to get one. However, after looking in my all-time favourite store Priceline, I wasn't sure I wanted to spend $7 for one lip balm.
Luckily for me, I naturally eBay search any beauty product I'm wanting in case it's cheaper there. And lord-behold, it was. $7.81 AUS for a four pack. Oh my, yes. Give me all the Burt's Bees. 
So I bought a four pack, which had the varieties: Acai Berry, Mango Butter, Bees Wax and Pomegranate. So yummy! The pomegranate flavoured one is not a clear/white like the others, and has a red-ish colour, but the colour is extremely mild on the lips!

I only received this in the mail today (which is the WORST thing about buying online), but I've already fallen in love with the Pomegranate and Mango Butter flavours, mmmm. And they're the only ones I've actually tried out so far!


Highly recommend these so far. If you love sweet fruity smells, try the pomegranate, mango or acai flavours, but the Beeswax one smells very strongly of mint, so go for that one if that's your thing.


Yum yum yum, thumbs up for Burt, you American genius. Thank you for making our lips smooth and soft!

Monday 9 September 2013

Blushing Beauties and Bronzed Babes

Bronzers and blushers can completely change the way your face looks. 
I usually stick to the plain canvas look of none of either, but sometimes I divulge into the world of blush or bronzer.
Bronzer is great during summer, if, like me, you have pasty...pasty skin. When fake-tanning season kicks in, the only place you won't be tanned is your face, so having a bronzer is essential so that you don't end up looking like an oompa loompa. 

Blush, to me is more of an Autumn, Winter and Spring type of thing. When I can flaunt my pasty canvas with a sweet smokey eye and light blushing cheeks and a pretty lip gloss. 

Unfortunately, my collection only contains these three. I know, CRAZY, considering how many of everything else I have. But to be honest, I've never thought I needed them, as I naturally go rosy red at ALL the most inappropriate moments (how embarrassing!). 
But a few weeks ago I was in Target and spotted the Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in 001 Flush of Pearl, and thought...why not? It's a real translucent shimmery pink that I put on my cheeks, almost like a highlighter, after foundation. I must say, it does add a lot of radiance with only a small amount, which is great, but it's best to put a powder over the top so that it's not too much.

I was in Priceline today (I know, SHOCK), and I decided it was time I had a proper blush, so I picked up just this cheap brand one called Savvy by DB. It's a classic blush in the shade silky pink. I haven't tried this just yet, but I'm looking forward to doing so!

My Nude by Nature bronzer is not too bad, but considering how much they charge, it really is just way too shimmery. I almost feel like a glitter queen after, and I can't use much for colour, otherwise I end up too shiny, glittery and shimmery.
So my next buy is definitely a new bronzer! 

Quick tip though, don't be too overzealous with bronzer and blush. It's great to have a small, natural looking glow, but you don't want to end up looking like a trashy teenager. So keep it minimal, to keep yourself out of the costume act!

Conceal the Deal

As a blemish-prone gal, I always have concealer in my makeup bag. There is never enough concealer. Never.
I've tried many different ones, and to this day, I still really haven't found my holy grail concealer. I've tried sticks, liquids and even odd-coloured ones (greens and purples), and they do alright, but it's so difficult to find a full coverage concealer for all the red patches, pimples, scars, and eye bags.

So far, I've collected a few that really do the trick, but as always, I have my favourites. In my collection though, I house these concealers, swatched on my hand.

 On my hand from top to bottom, we have:

  1. Models Prefer Liquid Concealer in Light
  2. Maybelline Cover Stick Corrector Concealer (green)
  3. Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer in 010 Ivory
  4. L'Oreal Paris True Match Skin Tone Matching Corrector Concealer
  5. australis conceal correct 4-in-1 concealer corrector palette.
The Rimmel Wake Me Up concealer is great for under the eyes, and really helps to brighten your eye to make you look much more awake.The australis concealer is a four-section compact with two skin-tone sections and one purple and one green. The creamy consistency is good, but it is difficult to build and get out of its tray. The Maybelline cover stick is much better in this respect, as you can literally draw it on your face and just blend into any redness on the face.
The true match concealer was a bit of a let down, unfortunately. It is too dark for my skin (not exactly doing what it says it does) and it hasn't got very good coverage.
The Models Prefer concealer is great so far. Not too much, but is easily build-able, and matches my skin well (having a concealer a shade or two lighter than your skin is best).


Concealer really is essential for me, as I have blemish-prone skin. 
If you want a really natural look, use your concealer before foundation. But if you're looking for a more intense and targeted coverage, apply after foundation, and blend in using a blending brush (I just use my concealer brush).

All concealers really just do the same thing, but it can be hard to find the right one. If you really need high-as-high coverage, try to find a cream concealer, as the thick consistency will hold really well and cover any redness or bags. If you only have a few small blemishes but otherwise nice skin, try to just use a small amount of concealer and blend into the rest of your face.

Keep on trucking, as I'll be revealing my sadly very small collection of blush and bronzer. And after that, a few tutorials on how I combine my makeup for a natural finish or a heavier coverage for a night out. 


The Foundation of Flawless

Where would I be without foundation?
In a hole somewhere, hiding my face like I'm sure many of you would too. Sometimes it can feel so naked not wearing any makeup, and foundation is a staple for many people. I have tried lots of different types of foundations, liquid, cremes, mousse, stick. But the ones in my collection at the moment are definitely my favourites that I have tried so far.
I have a fair few. I have two BB creams, three liquid foundations, one mousse, one creme, and four powders. I will go through each one, of course, hopefully to help you find which type of foundation would be best for your skin type!
So here is a swatch of all the liquid/creme/mousse ones (as obviously powders wouldn't come out on camera).
Here we have, from top to bottom;

  1. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Classic Ivory Light 2
  2. BYS creme foundation in Light Beige
  3. Garnier Skin Naturals BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for combination to oily skin in light.
  4. Maybelline Dream Pure BB 8-in-1 BB cream for oily skin in Light.
  5. Rimmel London Stay Matte Foundation in 100 Ivory
  6. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 100 Ivory
  7. Models Prefer Liquid Foundation in ivory

My staple for ages was the Garnier BB cream, which really surprised me, as I'd only heard negative things about some of their other products. It has a really nice light coverage, brightens up my face and dries matte, almost like you have just applied a light powder. The colour is perfect for my skin, and it is just an absolute must for a travel/purse item, for touch ups or for day trips.

For heavier coverage, I use the BYS creme foundation, as it is super thick. Applied with a sponge, only a small amount goes a long way, and it is great to build with. I use this on any redness on my face, or if I'm going for a night out and want heavier coverage that will last the night.

For a fresh and awake look for when I'm super tired from work, I'll use the Rimmel Wake me up foundation along with the wake me up concealer and shimmer touch to perk me up. The foundation goes on beautifully and has the softest radiant glowy undertones, to help make your face look so much more radiant and awake look.

For an everyday matte light-to-medium coverage I will use the Models Prefer foundation (shout out to Priceline for having gift packs of concealer, foundation, a brush and 2 sponges for $10!), as it gives a nice natural finish, and it great for preventing shine.

Because I have oily/shiny skin, I ALWAYS use a powder over the top of any liquid foundation; but this can also be used to help set it. Most days I will reach for my Maybelline Stay Matte pressed powder in 001 Transparent. This leaves my face with a soft matte finish that holds all day. 
If I'm feeling particularly pedantic about my face, I will use my Almay line smoothing powder in light 100, followed by the Stay Matte powder. This just lightly fills in any small creases/lines in my face to help with an airbrushed finish. 

Again, if I'm feeling a bit dull or particular, I sometimes use the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Protector Finishing Powder, just for that last bit of oomph. It has an SPF of 25 and leave a light sheer glow to the skin, and was only around $10 from Gloss. 

Other than those Liquids and Mousse (which by the way, even in Light, I can still almost use as a bronzer), I also have the L'Oreal Paris Bare Naturale gentle mineral powder in Light Ivory 410.
The Stay Matte liquid foundation I find to be slightly oily on my face, which is opposite to what it says it does, and it has been sitting in my makeup bag for a few years now, and is still not even half empty. I only use it if I'm desperate.

Just a quick tip, too, in case you don't remember, I have oily/combination skin, so all of the products I will be reviewing/commenting on will be good for oily skin. 

Stay tuned for my next post, which will be purely on concealers! Everyone needs a good concealer, or two....or five..
So how about a review on all of the ones I've been using?

Friday 6 September 2013

Selective Scents, Perfect Perfumes

I love my perfumes, but I am always sooo choosey and I find it really difficult to find a new scent that I love. I like mild florals and sweet smells, which narrows many perfumes down. Usually I only buy a perfume if it's super cheap to try, but will otherwise stick to the scents I know.

Over the years I've come to affiliate certain smells of perfumes/colognes with different times or people. For example, The Body Shop's White Musk scent reminds me of my grandmother, and Davidoff's Cool Water reminds me of my ex. Mariah Carey's perfume (which I can't remember the exact name of, but it came in a round jewel encrusted bottle and was super sweet) reminds me of my best friend from year 9, and Joop reminds me of my current boyfriend.
Smell to me is just one big mental reunion.

My all-time favourite perfumes from over time have to be Britney Spears' Curious, Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet, and Marc Jacobs Daisy which is a new-found love. Covet is such a lovely sweet floral scent, perfect for spring or autumn, and Daisy is quite similar, though I have gotten into a little habit of mixing two perfumes together, which I'll explain later.

In my current collection I house these beauties...

So, in this collection, we have Beyonce's Heat Rush, Marc Jacob's Daisy, J. Lo's Glow, Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet, Ed Hardy's Love Kills Slowly, FCUK's for Him, and Dove go fresh cucumber and green tea scent deodorant. 

Heat Rush and Love Kills Slowly are both sweet smells, Heat Rush is a more spicey sweet, whereas LKS is a lolly sweet smell. Covet and Daisy are both florals, covet being really light, sweet and smooth, the perfect scent for a sunny spring day, and daisy being more tangy sweet, perfect for a dinner out. Glow is a mix. So so perfect though. It is a sweet floral vanilla smell. One of those I-could-just-inhale-this-all-day smells. 

YES I am aware that I have a men's cologne. Oopsidaisy. What happened was, I got a little too excited at the Beauty Spot counter and accidentally thought I was buying a women's perfume, but I was not. It was $10, which is cheap as chips, so I'm not disappointed. It smells delightful and lasts ages, but yes, it is a manly sweet smell. 
So what I do with that one is I spray two squirts of the FCUK and then spray two squirts of the Ed Hardy perfume of the top, and mixed together they smell delightful. I usually wear that just for when I go to work, as the store gets quite hot, and I won't need to worry about smelling terrible for my whole shift.

As for my deodorant, its just a plain boring supermarket/drugstore brand, but it smells nice and fresh and is good by itself if you're just going grocery shopping or to the gym, just to keep from smelling all sweaty and gross. 

Every one of these perfumes is perfectly affordable, though Daisy IS a bit on the pricey side which is poopy, but it's definitely a lovely smell. It can be found for around $70 on sale, but can be up into the hundreds when it isn't. The others (apart from Ed Hardy because it was a present so I have NO IDEA how much that was), are under $40. 

Perfect perfumes for any occassion!

Next time I will be going through all my face stuff: foundation, concealers, powders, bronzers, blushers. So stay posted for that! 

Tuesday 3 September 2013

Lustful Lip Products...

Ahhh lips. Sensual, plump, inviting.. Lips are the perfect way to make a statement in your look of the day or night. Whether you're going for a classy nude look, or a sleek glossy look, an innocent peachy look or a daring red look; the colour of your lips can change your whole personality.

It's safe to say then that having a huge....HUGE collection of lip products is perfectly okay then, right? Right?!?
I have 28 lip products in my makeup bag and travel bag. Oh dear...

But being beautiful ladies as you all are, I figured why not share my whole collection with you, and show you some of my very faves!
So here is a photo of all the glosses, balms, lipsticks, lip stains, lip lacquers, lip treatments etc that roam around in my makeup bag.
So that is my collection SO FAR. Like, we haven't even gotten to my handbag yet or anything. Oh my gosh. From left-to-right, top-to-bottom I have here:

  1. BYS Lipstick in L29 Coral Kiss
  2. Maybelline New York Colorsensational in 416 Coral Fever (coral seems to be a trend here..)
  3. Covergirl natureluxe sunscreen gloss balm in 205 Tulip
  4. Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 26 (no actual name, but it is a nude color)
  5. Australis Matte Me Lipstick Mattifying Base
  6. Bourjois Paris Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick in 04 Peach on the Beach
  7. Rimmel London Kate Moss lipstick in 111 Kiss of Life
  8. Nivea Soft Rose balm
  9. boe beauty Jumbo Wind Up Lips in #21 Manic Pink
  10. Covergirl Outlast Lipstain in 435 Flirty Nude
  11. Nature's Care All Natural Paw Paw Lip Balm
  12. W7 Tutti Fruity High Moisture Lip Gloss in Peach
  13. Maybelline New York Baby Lips Color in Pink Lolita
  14. Maybelline New York Baby Lips in Cherry Velvet
  15. Maybelline New York Baby Lips Glow in Mixed Berry
  16. Maybelline New York Baby Lips Color in Berry Crush (LOTS of Baby Lips, I know.)
  17. Rimmel London Apocolips Lip Lacquer in 101 Celestial
  18. BYS Diamond Shine Lip Gloss in 01 Panther Pink
  19. Model Co. lip gloss (color not on tube)
  20. Miki Lip Sorbet Lip Balm in Watermelon
  21. Australis Lip Treatment Trio
Pleeease don't judge me! We all have our loves for makeup, and mine seems to be lips. I'm always scouting for new things to try. For instance, just yesterday I went shopping and bought the Rimmel Lip Lacquer I had been eyeing off since it came out, ANOTHER Bourjois Color Boost lipstick, because one colour just isn't enough! And I'm already itching to go back to Priceline to get a Burt's Bees Lip Balm in Mango Butter because I've heard so many good things about it from my YouTube Beauty Gurus.

But, alas, that isn't the end of the collection...no. That was just my makeup bag/extras. I also have a small makeup bag I have in my everyday bag that I take with me everywhere.
Let me show you what lippy things I have in there!

In this little bag, I have; from top to bottom:

  1. Bourjois Color Boost Glossy Finish Lipstick in 03 Orange Punch
  2. Classic Carmex Moisturising Lip Balm
  3. boe beauty Jumbo Wind Up Lips in #22 Bourdoir Pink
  4. Neautrogena Naturals Lip Balm
  5. Rimmel London Kate Moss Lipstick in 103 (No name).
  6. Uouo Make-up Plump & long-lasting moist lip gloss in Lychee (overseas eBay buy).
So as you can see, I not only like my lips to look good, it's an absolute love!
My absolute favourites from my collection have to be the Bourjois Color Boost lipsticks, the Kate Moss Lipstick in 103 and the Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in Coral Fever. All sooo pretty! Here's a swatch of each:
From top-to-bottom, the swatches are: Bourjois Color Boost in Orange Punch, Bourjois Color Boost in Peach on the Beach, Rimmel Kate Moss lipstick in 103 and Maybelline colorsensational lipstick in Coral Fever. The Kate Moss lipstick is so moisturising and smells so nice, I just want to eat it, and its the same for the Bourjois lipsticks, mmmm so yummy!

If you love your lip products too, or see a product listed that you would like to see a review of, leave a comment and I'll do as many as I possibly can!


What should I do next? Lips, check! Eyes next? Foundation? Concealers? Powders? Lotions? My daily skin routine? Let me know what YOU want to see!

Catcha later, alligators!