Illamasqua Blush: Excite

A product I have be absolutely loving lately is Illamasqua powder blush in the shade 'Excite'. I know from the pictures above it looks pretty scary but with a light touch this blush is lovely. 

Illamasqua describe it as a vivid apricot with a matte finish, which is pretty much exact. I actually quite like the fact it's a matte finish because I think a shimmer would be too much for this colour. 

You can probably tell from the pictures that this blush is extremely pigmented and all you need is a really light hand. I find it's best to use a stippling brush with this blush as you get a little bit of colour you can build rather than a whole lot that you can't take off. I really love the way this blush blends and it looks great with a shimmery eye look. I'm also really fond of the Illamasqua packaging, it's really sturdy and sleek. 

I think this would suit medium/darker skin tones as I feel it might be a little too much for the paler girls but if you love the look of it I'd definitely recommend trying it out. They also have another one similar called 'lover' but I believe it's a little more coral. This blush retails in Australia for $42.00 but Myer is currently selling it for $33.60 and you can get it here I actually bought this in America from Sephora for $24.00.  I know it seems pretty steep for a blush but considering you only need to use the smallest amount due to the pigmentation, so it's going to last a really long time. 

What do you think of this blush? Can anyone recommend me some more Illamasqua blush shades?

 xo

June Wishlist

Opi Nail Envy, Opi Chip Skip, Diva Necklace, River Island Boyfriend Jean via Asos, Asos Bull Necktie, Sportsigirl Tote, Benefit Benetint, Dotti Blazer, Topshop Dress 

Just wanted to share with you guys a few items I have come across and decided I probably need them in my life sooner rather than later.

I've got a terrible problem with buying tops and not bottoms so my wardrobe is full of tops but nothing to wear them with. I do really need to pick up some more. At the moment I am in love with the 'boyfriend' style jean but prefer them more on the slim side as I do not have the figure to pull of a baggy pair of jeans. The ones above are pretty much exactly what I'm looking for and I love the distressed look.

The rest of the wishlist is stuff I probably don't need but want regardless. I absolutely adore the mint blazer from Dotti even though the way they styled it and how it looks on that model is totally unflattering. But I have seen it on Emma and it looks fantastic! Aside from the jacket all the other things are just bits and pieces of things I've really been loving lately.

What's on your June wishlist?

May Favourites!

Now that it's June, I figured it was time for my monthly favourites. This is my first favourites post, ever!

This month's favourites are......

01. John Frieda "Go Blonder" Shampoo & Conditioner

02. Dove Summer Glow Moisturiser

03. Nars Blush in "Deep Throat"

04. Revlon Lip Butter in "Strawberry Shortcake"

05. MAC Lipstick in "Angel"

06. China Glaze Nail Polishes in  "Below Deck" "Sweethook" "Poetic" "Flip Flop Fantasy"

What are your May favourites?

Clothing & Jewellery Haul!

I've done a bit of shopping in the last week and I wanted to share with you what I picked up. I especially went to Ally after seeing Emma's Ally wishlist post. I am always a little skeptical when I go into our local Ally because they never have half of the items that they have online. I also find that sometimes their fabrics are a little questionable. I only ended up getting three things from there (only two are pictured) because some of the things I wanted weren't in store. I also stopped into Diva on a lunch break and picked up a few things, all the items were reasonably priced. 

Ally Oversized Mint Knit - $29.99 AUD

I've already worn this baby a few times and it is so comfortable. The knit is really soft and not itchy like other ones I've bought recently. I've found it actually goes with so much and I love the fact that I have more mint in my wardrobe. You can never have enough mint! 

Ally Sailor Sweater - $19.99AUD

This....I have wanted a top like this forever, so when I saw it hidden in a rack I knew I had to get it. I'm usually wary of the fabrics at Ally but for such a cheap sweater the fabric is pretty decent. Although I do fear it might go a little pilly. I think this will look so cute tucked into a skirt with some brogues. 

Diva Purple Crystal Pendant Necklace - $6.00 AUD

If you didn't know Diva was/is having a sale where they have reduced a lot of their jewellery to $6.00 or less. It doesn't sound that cheap but when you actually see the items they had on sale most of them were reduced from about $15 or more so it works out to be a decent discount.The chain on this necklace is so delicate and I love the contrast with the big crystal pendant. I do like the the raw crystal jewellery that is floating around at the moment. They also had this in a ring and a set of earrings but I controlled myself and just bought the necklace, even though I wanted them all. 

Diva Ornamental Feather Earrings - $6.00 AUD

I'm not usually one for huge chandeliers that hang from the sides of my head but I was really attracted to these. I think it may have been the spikes between the feathers that tones down the femininity of these. I also love the big circle with the flowers on them and I don't really own anything like these. I can't even picture what I'm going to pair these with but they're so pretty to look at. 

So that's most of what I got, I did get a couple more things but my camera went crazy when I was trying to take photos of them. 

What have you hauled recently? 

Review: Essence Ballerina Backstage Eye Souffle

A little while ago I saw Emma & Michelle talking about the Essence Eye Souffles and how great they were. So I knew I had to go down to Target and get my hands on some of these. I went into target and couldn't find the Backstage Ballerina collection with the rest of the Essence products i thought I had missed out. But I scoured the makeup section of my Target and finally found them shoved on a shelf no where near the other Essence products and the section itself was an absolute mess. When I opened up the first 'Pas Des Copper' someone had already put their fingers in it and ruined the product - typical! There was only one other left in this shade and thankfully it wasn't touched or I would have been pretty disappointed. There was only one of 'Dance The Swan Lake' left as well - the actual product was fine but someone had dropped it and it had a big chip out of the bottom glass. I decided to get it anyway because it was the last one left. I ended up asking for a discount at the checkout and got it for the ridiculously cheap rice of $2.00 which was a bonus and made up for the annoying shopping experience. 

 

The products themselves are lovely, they're so creamy and smooth and I actually find them pretty pigmented and easily buildable for even more colour.

Pas De Copper is a beautiful shimmery copper colour that looks great on the eye by itself or under shadows as a base. I found if I wore this with a primer it lasted most of the day on my eyelids. I think this product has actually become one of my favourites especially because it's so quick and easy to apply. I think it should be a staple in everyones makeup collection especially if you like to keep it quick and simple.  

Dance The Swan Lake is a creamy white that may lean a little pink on some skin tones. I mostly use this shadow as a base for other shadows. I love the consistency of these products they're so creamy and smooth - this one especially. Dance The Swan Lake's lasting time is also pretty good, it helped make my shadows on top last all day and look nice and vibrant. 

I love the simple packaging of these products and it's nice and simple and not tacky like other really cheap products they kinda remind me of the MAC Paint Pot Packaging. I think the packaging is quite sturdy and the glass and lid seem to be pretty strong. (obviously they will chip if you drop them haha) 

I highly recommend checking out Essence and their other products, these eye souffles retail at $4.99 AUD but I got mine at Target on sale for $4.50 and $2.00 (due to damaged packaging) which is ridiculously cheap compared to MAC paint pot or other creamy eyeshadows. 

Has anyone else had a bad experience with a messy store and damaged products? Have you tried any Essence products? Let me know! 

These products were 100% purchased by me!