February Favourites 2013

What are your favourite products this month?

Get the look: Burgundy Lips

So if you've been around the beauty/fashion blogosphere lately you would have seen all the photos from the Met Ball. One thing I noticed amongst all the beautiful gowns was the dark red lips a lot of ladies were wearing and I absolutely love this trend. It's perfect timing for our winter months here in Australia. Here's how to get the burgundy lip! 

For the first step you want to make sure your skin is nice and glowy, I mixed an 

illuminator with Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation to get a dewy complexion. 

The next thing you'll need to get this look is a nice soft highlight and a winged eyeliner. Keeping it nice and simple so you're not overdoing it with the dark lips. I used Mac's Soft and Gentle highlighter and Loreal's Hip Black Gel Liner. Apply your highlighter to the tops of your cheekbones and then just wing the liner out as much as you like, also apply your favourite mascara. 

Now for the fun part, I found it's probably best to line your lips when using such a dark colour so it doesn't run and ruin the look. You can even conceal your lips first if you like to make the colour as bold as possible. I lined all of my lips and filled them in with a Savvy lip pencil - if you're not looking for something too crazy you can just add a gloss over the liner for a more subtle dark lip. I did choose to use a lipstick though as I really like the dark lip. I used a  Maybelline lipstick in the shade Plum Perfect, I've had this for the longest time and I used to wear it a lot last winter. Just apply the lipstick as you normally do and fix up any messy edges with a cotton tip, and you're done! 

This is the final look, as I said I like to keep the rest of the face simple, but if you want you can add a blush or darker eyes. I hope you all liked this little how to, even though it's pretty simple. 

Let me know what you think of this look! 

Do you like the dark lip trend? Who was your favourite from the Met Gala? 

January Empties

 

I still can't believe it's already February, this year is going so quickly already! I got the idea for this post from Emma Bovary Beauty who I saw doing these types of posts last year. I thought it was great idea so I thought I'd do the same and share the products I used up in the month of January.  

Biore Deep Pore Cleansing Strips

I've been using these for about a year now, and they are definitely one of my favourite products for getting rid of blackheads and yucky stuff on my nose. I have pretty bad skin, and these are really good to use sometimes when my skin is really acting up. I was a little nervous the first time because I thought they might hurt but they are fine, and my nose always feels nice and smooth after I use them. They're a reasonable price and I will definitely be repurchasing. 

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

This is hands down my all time favourite foundation, it has great coverage and such a smooth finish. If you're looking for a nice foundation I would recommend this one, and their shade range is pretty good too. I find it really counteracts my redness, unlike a lot of the other foundations I've tried. The only thing that sucks about this is that it's so expensive here (this was bought overseas). I do have another bottle which I am using now, and I've found a decent website to purchase at American prices which I'm so happy about, will be repurchasing. 

Lush H'Suan Wen Hua

The name of this product is super crazy and I've tried 35323423 times to pronounce it correctly but it doesn't happen for me. It's a hair treatment that smells like chai tea which I absolutely love, I got about 3 or 4 uses out of this product depending on how much I used each time. You apply this before you shampoo and condition which I thought was really odd, but it is quite thick so it's understandable. The first time I used this I was a little unsure about it but the second time it worked so much better as I left it on a lot longer. It made my hair so soft, and the best part about Lush is they use natural ingredients. I'm trying other hair treatments right now so I'll probably give it a miss. (If you can recommend me a hair treatment for dry hair that'd be amazing!)

Benefit Bad Gal Lash

This Mascara is fantastic, I've had this for a really long time and it never dried out. It makes my lashes so thick and full and I always get compliments on my eyelashes when I'm wearing this. The packaging is also super cute and easy to use which is a bonus. When I have money and do a Benefit order I will most likely buy again. 

Le Tan In a Can Jet Dry - Spray Tan

I only got one and a bit use out of this product, it gave me a nice bronze shade but went really orange on my feet (I may have over done it). I don't like that you can't be in control as much as you can be with the bronzing lotion. I do like that it dries a lot faster than the lotion though and you don't get orange hands because you don't need to rub it in. It's a lot messier than the lotion as well, I don't mind this product but the cons outweigh the pros. I will be buying the lotion next time. 

I only used up five products this month and I'm aiming to use up a lot more of my Lust Have It samples this month as I've got quite the collection building up. 

What products did you use up this month? Have you used any of these?

Hello Sunshine - N.O.T.D!

I have recently been LOVING bright nails. I was inspired by the post Katelyn did last week with the yellow nails. I know mine aren't a "neon" yellow but I really like this colour I created. Firstly I used Rimmel nail polish in Lemon Drop (I think it is one of their new colours for spring) it is basically just a pale lemony yellow. The Rimmel colour does go on very streaky but with a couple of coats you can hardly tell. Over the top of Lemon Drop I used the Sephora by OPI nail polish in Cab Fare which is a bright gold/yellow colour - you can't really wear on it's own as it's not very opaque. I have taken some photo's to show you how this turned out. I really liked it and got a lot of comments.

(ring from La Dama)

Do you like bright nails at the moment?

Would you wear this colour?

Let me know what you think of this colour.

I need your help: Primers.

I'm looking for a new primer, I don't want to spend a lot of money. These are a few of the drugstore primers I've looked up that are available in Australia. But I just wanted to know if anyone has tried any of these, or what your favourite primer is? Is it worth it to pay a lot more for a primer and if it is what is a good one to get?

Let me know!

New Elf Purchases

So awhile back I bought two items from Nonpareil Boutique, nothing to amazing just an E.L.F Blush in Peachy Keen and a set of E.L.F Studio brushes. This is just a quick post to show you what I got.

The best thing about these brushes is that they're so soft and lovely, I like that they're all black too. The set even came with a little booklet that has a description and use for every brush. I also really like the blush, I did want Candid Coral but it was sold out so I got peachy keen instead. As you can see it doesn't show up that well on my skin tone but it will probably look nice as a highlighter or even mixed with another blush. Overall I was pretty happy with everything and the service I received, even though I thought shipping prices were a little too much.

Has anyone else used E.L.F brushes?

My First Chanel.

 Hello Dolls.

It was my 21st birthday on the 5th of July and I finally got some Chanel cosmetics! I have been wanting to try Chanel for a long time so it was really great that I received a few items for my birthday.  I got two lipsticks & the brow kit. I got two different kinds of lipstick, one is the Rouge Coco Shine in 56 "Chance" which is described as a hydrating sheer lip shine and the other is Rouge Coco in 76 "Sari Dore" which is described as a hydrating creme lip colour. I noticed that the Rouge Coco Shine is quite a bit smaller (less product) than the Rouge Coco. The Coco Shine is only .1 OZ, the Rouge Coco is .12 OZ with only a $2 price difference. I think if I buy another lipstick, I would go for the Rouge Coco as the wear time is longer and it is better value for money.

Anyway, onto the Le Sourcil De Chanel - perfect brows. This is the cutest little compact I think I've ever seen, it comes with three different shades, two brushes and a set of mini tweezers. It is basically foolproof, all three shades can be mixed to create whatever colour you need. I feel like this kit will last a very long time which makes it a little easier to justify spending so much money on one product, it cost $109 here in Australia - luckily it was gifted!

All in all I am very impressed with the quality of these Chanel products. I can tell you now that I will definitely be buying more!

I took a few photos to show you what they look like. Sorry the colours in the photos aren't exactly true to colour due to poor lighting, but I think you'll get the idea.

Enjoy.

The cross earings are from Sportsgirl.


Please let me know if you think Chanel cosmetics are worth the money/if you any recommendations for my future Chanel cosmetic purchases.


I hope you're all liking our new layout! We love to hear feedback.

NYX Lipsticks

Recently I bought a few NYX lipsticks from nonpareilboutique.com because I've heard they're really good quality for the price. I'd have to say I agree with this statement. The ones I purchased are very creamy and last a pretty long time, probably 3-4 hours. I found you have to be careful when you apply these lipsticks without a mirror as they tend to go a little all over the place. I bought the colours "Tea Rose" "Mars" "Thalia" & "Paris". The colours I got are all pretty similar. If you haven't noticed, I really like pinks, corals & nudes lipsticks. I find it really hard to buy any cosmetics online, I always try and find swatches that other people have done to get a bit of an idea what they will look like in real life. In this case, sadly, I think "Mars" & "Thalia" are bit dark for my skin tone. Luckily "Tea Rose" & "Paris" are perfect colours for me. I took some photos to show you all what they look like and maybe help you decide if they're right for you!

From L to R: Tea Rose, Thalia, Mars & Paris.

I would definitely buy more of these lipsticks, I think they cost me around $2.50 each which is the probably the cheapest cosmetic item I have ever owned. I also bought three E.L.F brushes from nonpareilboutique.com which were about $3.60 each. I haven't had the chance to try them out yet but they're super soft. I will have a review on them soon!

Let me know if you have tried NYX lipsticks and what you thought of them.

New/Old - Good/Bad

So this is just some products I've either recently started using or ones that I've had for awhile that I really love. 

Here is the products I have featured. 

1. Savvy By DB Mineral Powder 

Well I am actually really loving this product I bought it at Priceline last week you could buy two products and get the third free and the best part, the actual powder is only $10 and use a pretty good liquid foundation so I don't need a hugely expensive powder really just something to set it. I think the colour matches perfectly and it has pretty good staying power. I wish the packaging was a little prettier but you can't be too picky when something is so cheap. I'd really recommend this product to someone on a budget  - loving it! 

2. Nyx Green Concealer 

I actually stole this of my sister (sorry Megan) I really needed a concealer one day and I found this. I don't particularly like the idea of a green concealer I think it's meant to take the redness away but it honestly doesn't work on me. If anything it makes my skin look so blotchy, I think I need to invest in a nice skin colour one - so if someone could recommend me one that'd be good. 

3. Australis Translucent Finishing Powder
Like all Australis products I love this, I like putting it on when I feel a bit oily but don't want to have cakey powder. It has a really weird texture on kind of really smooth on your face it feels lovely. I don't use it that much but it is great when I do use it.

4. Savvy by DB Powder 
This is just the non mineral powder I got this in the buy two get one free, I also love this product I probably love the mineral one just a bit more. But I find I get a nice finish from either.

5. Impassioned lipstick by M.A.C 
I love love love the colour of this lipstick for ages I have been looking for a bright pink lipstick I ended up buying this off eBay because M.A.C is so expensive in Australia and we don't have a M.A.C counter where I live. I really love this lipstick although my lips have to be super moisturized otherwise it picks up the little bits of dry skin and doesn't look so nice, even though it's not a matte finish.

6. Nars Orgasm Illuminator
I got this for free with my Sephora beauty points, I absolutely love this. I would even get a full size of this product even though you only need the tinyest amount and I have so much left. It has a lovely shimmer and you can even wear it just as a subtle glow on your cheeks if you're doing a dramatic eye or something. 100% recommend this product.

7. Body Shop Bronzer 
This is probably my fall back blush on most days if I don't want to go with a pink or an orange. I never use it as an actual bronzer because I don't like the way bronzers look on my skin. It is however a lovely blush and looks great just lightly dusted on the cheeks or even when I wear fake tan it adds a bit of glow. It's great because it's not a super shimmery bronzer like nearly every other one I've tried which just looks ridiculous on me.

8. Savvy by DB shimmer eyeshadow
Last but not least, this was also purchased in the deal. This one was the one I got for free so I can't actually remember how much it cost but I know it wasn't overly expensive. I always love finding light eyeshadows to dust all over your eyelid and up to just under the eyebrow for a shimmer. I like this product a lot and for the price of all three things you really can't complain.

So there you have it, some of my new and favourite products. Has anyone else used or have any of these products? What would you try, also can someone recommend me a great concealer preferably not too expensive.

Dermalogica Ultracalming Range

So I wanted to do a little review/show and tell of some sample products I got from my beautician after I got a deep cleaning facial and general skin check up. I'm not going to lie I don't have perfect skin, in fact I have redness, dryness and pimples and I always end up getting them along my jaw and neck. So I decided it was time I had someone who knew what they were talking about check it out. My skin has been quite dry lately and with winter coming soon I know it will only get worse. The beautician told me the face wash I was using was stripping my skin of all the good oils and that's why it has been so dry and flaky. So after a good hour of extractions face massages, face creams etc. I was given some Dermalogica samples to take home and try, I can safely say my skin feels fantastic even after a few days of using it.

 So these are all the samples I received (I did have more but I have already used them all and please excuse my horrible photo taking I just moved house and I couldn't find anywhere to take nice pictures and my camera wouldn't focus properly)

So this is the 'Precleanse' it's basically an oil  made from nuts and seeds that you rub on your face to remove all your makeup and dirt etc off before actually cleaning. I found that it works quite well I will admit I didn't love the oily  feeling on my face but I get that with my makeup remover anyway. I followed the precleanse up with the 'Ultracalming Cleanser' which is a gel/cream that is super gentle and can be taken off with a tissue or warm water. I absolutely loved the cleanser, like seriously it was the best feeling when I got out of the shower and my skin felt not so so clean it was dry it felt clean but still soft. I wish I hadn't used all the samples of it so quickly ha ha.

This is my other favourite it's called 'Barrier Repair' it's like a thick gel that you put on to moisturise your face it feels really cool, it doesn't make your face all oily it makes it feel sort of matte and not like you have a heavy layer of oily moisturiser on your face. I really liked this product, I am going to buy a bigger tube.

I got this 'Ex foliating Body Scrub' I used it an did like it but it's probably something I'd only use every so often because I'd rather just use some body wash and some ex foliating gloves.

I also got some 'Body Hydrating Cream' which I should have used by now but I am always in a rush and forget to moisturise my body, probably the reason for my skin being itchy and dry a lot in winter.

This is the last thing I got and yes, I did have it upside down without realizing but I only took one shot of it. I was told I should wait to use this after I'd finished all my other products to see how my skin was going. So I'll let you know how I go with it. Out of all the products I liked the Ultracalming Cleanser and the Barrier Repair so they are probably the two products I am going to invest in, although they are very pricey so I might have to save some money before I can afford to get them. Why are the best products always so expensive?! But seriously I am literally loving these products and I'm so glad I got to sample them, I'd hate to spend $80 on face wash and end up hating it. I can already notice a difference in my skin and it isn't all flaky and dry around my nose where it usually is.
Sorry for the enormously long post, I tried shortening it but it wouldn't be a real review then would it?
Has anyone else used Dermalogica before? What did you think about it?

P.S I have had a twitter for a while but never really used it other than to see what celebrities are up to, I have now started to use it and will be tweeting on there. I would love some people to follow other than celebrities so leave me your twitter link or follow me and I'll follow back. 

Click here for my twitter

N.O.T.D!

I adore this colour! It's a cross between a minty green and aqua although it's coming out a lot more blue in the picture than it really is. I have never seen another colour like it. It is "Sweetpea" by Australis.

Do you like this colour? Would you wear it?

P.s. We have also confirmed we will be doing a little giveaway at 20 followers and a bigger one at 50 so please help us get there, yay :)