January Favourites

Over the last 2-3 months I've been using pretty much the same products all of the time, but there are a few products that have stood out to me this month that warranted a favourites post. I think I'll try and pick 5 favourites each month, to keep things short and sweet.

Lush Snow Fairy
I won this in Jasmine's Surprise Christmas Giveaway and I've been using it almost every day since. It smells so good!! It smells just like the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub, which smells like bubblegum and sweet lollies. It leaves a nice mild scent on you that's only noticeable if you smell your arm. I'll definitely be buying this one next Christmas!

The Body Shop Cranberry Joy Body Butter
This is another product that I've been using almost every day. I love the smell and how hydrating it is. I've got really dry skin so I can get away with using this daily. It's been a while since I've used Body Shop body butters and I've had some horrible experiences with cheap body butters that are really oily, but these are great.

Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Lick the Icing

I bought this product because I thought it would be cool to photograph for the photo competition Australis was holding for their birthday celebrations (I think that's what it was for anyway). I thought it was a lovely colour, but was pretty sure I would struggle to use it, especially for just regular everyday make up. But this month I've managed to pull it out quite a few times and I love wearing it. It's something different as I'd usually wear reds or darker pinks as lipstick.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balmstain in Romantic
I've been wearing this at work a lot. I usually don't have time to re-apply my lippy during the day so I need something that's going to last me until my break. It also doesn't transfer easily so I don't end up with red down my face if I accidentally wipe my face or something. The colour took a while to grow on me, at first I thought it was far too dark, but now I love wearing it! As you can see from the picture I've been carrying it around a lot - the writing has almost all come off!

Covergirl LineExact liquid eyeliner

Lately for work I've pretty much just been doing winged eyeliner for my eye makeup. This is the first liquid eyeliner I've managed to use successfully (although my first was super cheap and I never really tried!) and now I love using it, a lot more than pencil liner. I know it's not really a blogger favourite, and there may be better ones out there, but this one has been working great for me.

Lick the Icing, Romatic, LineExact thick and Thin Lines.

Review: Benefit Primed for Takeoff!

I bought this set for myself for Christmas. I originally wanted to get Porefessional for my Mum, and seeing as this set contained a full size porefessional I thought it would be worth spending a little extra money so I could get myself some goodies. Unfortunately this set is no longer available, but you can get each product individually off the Benefit website, which is much cheaper than the Australian RRP.
This set contained a full size Porefessional, Hervana blush and BadGal Mascara, and a deluxe sample of High Beam. They all came in a cute cardboard case that looks like a travel bag, which I guess could be used again to store/carry makeup in.

Porefessional
I got a sample size of this with my online order. I'm still a bit skeptical about primers, and I usually skip them if I'm using anything other than a powder foundation. I also don't have large pores, so the main point of this product (reducing pore size) is lost on me. However, I found this to be a good primer. It kind of mattified my skin when I applied it, leaving a nice base for my foundation. My foundation was still there when I took it off at night, but I never really find that it wears off.

Hervana
I had been lusting over Hervana for a while, after seeing it on Myteefine and it was the main reason I decided to purchase this particular set. The colours swirl together to produce a really nice pink colour. It's a bit darker and stands out more than the Sugarbomb blush so it's great to use when I want the colour on my cheeks to show. Like Sugarbomb it has a nice light floral/vanilla scent. The colour can easily be built up with this blush, applied lightly for a softer look, or heavily to really stand out. It is a little powdery, leaving loose powder in the pan after use. The brush is nice and soft, and is what I always use to apply it.

l-r: The 4 colours in the pan from lightest to darkest, heavily swatched together, and blended together.

Badgal Lash Mascara

I've been using my Covergirl LashBlast Volume mascara for the last few months and for some reason thought I'd never be able to get a mascara as good. I finally decided to open this after trying to leave it as long as I could so I could still take it to the UK with me, and first used it a few days ago and I'm seriously impressed. The wand has thick bristles which I haven't used in a while as I've been buying rubber wants lately but still think it's great. I don't think I need that much help with my lashes as they're already quite long, but I love the look of them with this. It's long lasting, doesn't clump or flake and isn't too hard to take off at the end of the day. It is a bit wet and I find that I get a fair bit of black on my eyelid close to my lashline when I apply it (maybe because I'm clumsy).

eyelashes without mascara

With BadGal

With BadGal

High Beam

High beam is a nice pearly coloured highlighter. I only have a few highlighers and so far I can't say that this works any better than others. I don't use them that often so this sample size is probably going to last a while. This one is easy to blend, even onto powder foundation.

This order (see the other part of the order here) has really made me fall in love with benefit products, especially their box o' powders. I'd love to try Coralista blush, ChaCha tint, That Gal primer and their new Fine-one-one.

Have you tried any products from Benefit? What's your favourite?

If not, what would you love to try?

Gloss 'N Sparkles Nail Polish: Unicorn Droppings and They Did the Monster Mash

As you can see from my Sale haul post, after Christmas I bought some nail polish from Gloss 'N Sparkles. After spending quite a while trying to decide what ones to choose (seriously, they're all so pretty it's almost impossible!), I decided to get Unicorn Droppings and They Did the Monster Mash.

They Did the Monster Mash (l) and Unicorn Droppings (r)

I knew I had to get unicorn droppings. It's such a unique polish and nothing like anything I own. It has a white shimmery base, with multi-coloured hexagon glitters.

Although I love the colour of this polish, I found it super frustrating to apply. I decided to do 3 thin coats to try and get glitter layers, but each layer took ages to dry. I also found that it was quite a clumpy polish and really struggled to get a nice even layer across my nails. I've only ever heard good reviews about this, so I'm sure it's just my inability to use nail polish that made me struggle. It's relatively long lasting, and I got a few days with minimal chipping using Seche Vite as a top coat(which is rare for me because of my brittle nails).

sunlight

flash

artificial light

They Did the Monster Mash is a blue cream polish bits of black, purple and green glitter, with small circles, larger hexagons and squares, and thin rods. I thought this was a pretty unique polish as well and looks awesome. I found that this polish also took quite a long time to dry, although seemed to be a bit easier to apply than Unicorn Droppings. Another down side is that there doesn't seem to be enough glitter, which is disspaointing as I don't like hunting for glitter and it's pretty dificult to do when the polish isn't clear. The glitter also doesn't show through the layers very well, unlike Unicorn Droppings, so there's no point trying to get enough glitter on your nail until you're on your last coat. This polish really only needs 2 coats. I used 3 coats on some nails because I wasn't happy with the glitter coverage.

sunlight

flash

artificial light

Overall, I'm pretty happy with these polishes, mainly because of how unique they are. They're also 3 free, and Australian Made which is a double plus. I would love to try some more polish from Gloss 'n Sparkles, particularly some jelly polishes (Like 3D Glasses Included and Pink Cigarette. I've read on Gloss 'N Sparkles facebook page that the etsy shop will be closed for a few weeks, so if you want to check out the polishes available you'll have to check the facebook. They have also been added to Femme Fatale, but won't be available to purchase for a few weeks. Australis have also recently bought out a polish that's very similar to Unicorn Polish called Milky Way (see it swatched on Beauty with the Beautifool) and may be easier to get your hands on (although I haven't been impressed with Australis polishes).

Have you tried either of these polishes? Do you have a favourite indie polish brand?

Weekly Nail: Mod-ern Girl

I got this polish for Christmas off a friend, and I thought I'd wear it when I went down the coast this weekend. OPI Mod-ern Girl is an orange with a slight coral tinge. It's the kind of polish that looks completely different in different lighting, and under certain lighting it looks a lot more orange than it looks in sunlight. Although it's a lovely colour (and the kind of colour I've been loving to wear lately), unfortunately it's not the best formula. It's quite thin and needs 3 coats to become even and opaque. 

Again, my nails are looking pretty terrible sorry! I've run out of the base coat I've been using (Sally Hansen Maximum Growth) and I really need something that's going to strengthen my nails.

Do you have any products you use to keep your nails healthy? What colours have you been wearing on your nails lately?

Wish list: travel

This wish list is a bit different to the wish lists I've previously done. This week I want to share with you some of the places I want to travel. I've mentioned before that I'm heading over to the UK in May with my boyfriend, and we'll be there (hopefully) till the beginning of next year, so we'll have plenty of opportunities to travel around Europe when we have time off work. We pretty much want to go anywhere and everywhere that we can, and whilst I'd really be happy to travel anywhere in Europe, these are some of the places that I'd really love to go to.

image source

German Christmas Markets.
Ok, this one's not so much a place, but a handful of places to pick from. At Christmas time, these markets pop up all over Germany, and in fact some of Europe (Edinburgh hosts a small German Christmas Markets that was really magical).

image source

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Amsterdam is a reappy pretty city. I'd love to go there and ride a bike around the canals and look at the architecture.

image source

South of France

I've already been to Paris, and although I wouldn't say no to going there again - especially in summer when you can take the Batobus along the Seine. I would love to go to the south of France, and eat cheese and drink cider in the countryside. I still would like to stay somewhere tourisity such as Marseille or Toulouse, as my French is pretty poor.

image source

Skiing in Bulgaria
I love skiing and we're going to miss the ski season here so it would be great if we got the opportunity to go skiing while we're in Europe. My boyfriends family friends have a place around the resorts in Bulgaria so that seems like the most ideal place to go. Plus, how pretty are those trees covered in snow!

Chernobyl, Ukraine
I only recently found out that you can actually do tours of Chernobyl and the worker town of Prypyat. I have a fascination with nuclear disasters and ghosts towns so I think it would be an amazing experience, especially visiting the abandoned fair grounds. The only downside and the number 1 reason I won't be doing a tour, is that the current sarcophagus that is encasing the damaged reactor is deteriorating, making it a little dangerous.

Have you been to any of these places? Is there anywhere in particular you're itching to go to?

What I wore: beach stripes

It's still super hot here, so I'm still wearing dresses and strappy sandals.

Face

Essence My Base illuminating make up base

Bourjois healthy mix foundation in 51

Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch highlighting Concealer

Covergirl line exact liquid liner

L'Oreal colour infallible eyeshadow in Innocent turquoise and tender caramel

Lancome Cils Booster XL super enhancing mascara base

Covergirl LashBlast Volume mascara

Australis Lick the Icing lipstick

I got this dress on sale on Urban Outfitters last year after seeing it on Kaelah's blog. I didn't wear it much because it was heading into winter here, and the fabric is really strange and definitely more suited for summer. At the start of summer I still didn't wear it much because it has a really weird fitting bust which is very large. If you can get past that, the stripes on this dress scream summer at the beach, and I love wearing it with these bright yellow sandals that I got from Modcloth which are a bit too big for me but are super comfy, even with my wide feet. On a not too cold day this dress is good in winter when paired with bright stockings and a cardigan. I also love these earrings that I got from my boyfriends sister for Christmas. I've been loving wearing mismatched earrings lately and she got me a pack of 3 sets of mismatched earrings. I really love them!

The boyfriend and I have started really getting into organising our trip to the UK. We're booking flights next week! I'll have a post up on the weekend about our trip. I'll probably be posting a bit more about travel soon, as I'm getting super excited about it and it's all I want to talk about! It also means I've really got to start saving money, so no more hauls, and I'm only allowed to buy beauty products when I run out of something. I do have a decent stash I'll be able to post about however, and I think I'll be incorporating a lot more fashion and wish list posts to make up for lack of reviews, ect.

January Bellabox

Yep, it's Bellabox time. I'm a little late this month, I got my box last Friday, but I just didn't care that much about what was in this months box and I wanted to use the products first (well that never happened!). This month the box is full of Australian products.

Everything that was in my box. Including a card about their bellababy box (did anyone else get this?)

What I got:

NatioPure Minerals Skin Perfecting BB cream in Medium (Sample RRP $14.95 for 50g)

 This cream is useless for me. I'm so pale that even in the middle of summer I'm still way too light for anything labeled medium. I haven't actually tried it, I doubt there would be any point. Ok, I will use this to see how the formula is, because I haven't had much luck with BB creams yet, and this one is Australian and not too expensive.

Swisse Body wash with Vitamin B3 and Macrobiotic Sea Minerals (30ml Sample, RRP $14.95 for 250ml)

I haven't tried this either, but I really liked the Swisse hand cream I got in my November box so I should like this. It has the same scent as the hand cream, which I quite like. I'm going to use this for traveling.

You Me and Everybody Cool it Aloe Vera Gel (100ml fullsize, RRP $8.95)

So far this summer I've managed to stay sun-safe and not get burned (Ok, I got burned a little once, and that was only from driving around town so it doesn't count!) and I plan to keep smothering myself in sunscreen so I don't get burnt. It's actually pretty impressive I've only been burnt once, especially because I spent a whole, really hot day at a water park without shade and didn't get burnt then. Anyway, I guess that means I'll be using it as an after shower moisturiser like it says on the bottle. It's not sticky and is pretty cooling.

Mode Nail Polish in Rave'n (15ml fullsize, RRP $2.45)

I haven't tried Mode before, and seeing as I'm not allowed to buy nail polish anymore I'm happy with receiving ANY nail polish! I do actually like this colour. However, it does seem a little similar to one I already own, Essie Fear or Desire, but maybe a tad more fluro. See swatches below. I do love the other colour (hot stuff) a little more and wanted to buy it off their website to make shipping free for some new  4me polish remover pads, but neither product was there.

Essie Fear or Desire on first 3 fingers, Mode Rave'n on pinky. Sorry about the chipped polish.

Face of Australia Makeup Purifying Cleansing Wipes (24 pack fullsized, RRP $4.95)

I haven't used these yet because I want to use up my other face wipes before I open another packet. I'm happy to try these as I'm not impressed with my current wipes (Swisspers Aloe wipes).

Overall, although I can use almost everything from this box (except the BB cream sample), it hasn't impressed me. These are all pretty boring products, except the cheap as chips nail polish. I'm also a bit peeved that some people who got the same box as me got a decal included. Although that's not something I would use, it's a bit unfair that they received more products. I am contemplating my subscription, as I'm trying to save money to go live in England for 6 months, and spending $15 a month, regardless of how insignificant that amount is, on products I don't need and am not wowed by is a waste of money.

What did you get this month? How happy are you with how the Aussie beauty box subscription companies are running at the moment?

Weekly nail: Bikini So Teeny

Since I've decided (been forced!) to stop buying nail polish, I thought it might be a good idea to try and go through my current nail polish collection and start posting my nails weekly. I have a ton of nail polish (some I haven't even used yet!) so it shouldn't be hard to find colours that I want to use.

First off I wanted to use some of the nail stickers I got from the Christmas blog swap. I also dug out my mini Essie polishes from the bikini so teeny collection because they're great summer colours. I used Essie Bikini So Teeny and Revlon Silver Dollar, and used Seche Vite as a top coat. I'm not a huge fan of applying these Essie minis, or really any Essie polish. I find they tend to go on pretty unevenly. This took me 3 coats, and it still ended up being a bit splodgy in spots. I was rushing it a little, so that could have had something to do with it, and I'm sure if I took the time it probably would have only taken 2 thicker coats. I only used one coat of Silver Dollar, as it's a very opaque polish. I do love this combination together and I can't wait to see what else I can do with the rest of the collection!

I'll make sure next week I take a bit more time so my nails aren't so messy.

Wish list

1. MAC Viva Glam Nicki    2. MAC Party Parrot    3. Urban Decay Fun Palette

   4. Stilla In the Light Palette    5. The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Body Butter 

 6. The Body Shop Lip Gloss in Peach    7. TUK Meow's the Time heels via Modcloth 

8. Salt Water Outer Bank on It sandal in blue via Modcloth

Since I've decided to cut back on my spending, I've somehow gone from lusting over cheaper products, to wanting a whole bunch of high-end products. How did this even happen? I think maybe my Benefit blushes had something to do with it, or maybe it was all the MAC lipsticks I got for Christmas (seriously, 3?! How great are my friends?).

Firstly are 2 more MAC lipsticks. Viva Glam Nicki and Party Parrot from the Strength collection which isn't available in Australia yet. Do I really need to say why I want these? Party Parrot seems like it might be similar to Sportsgirl Catwalk Queen, so it would be interesting to see a comparison of the two once it hits Australia.

I've heard so many good things about Urban Decay eyeshadows. Obviously, I'd like to get my hands on the Naked Palettes, but seeing as I already have a good dupe for the original Naked, and have tones of neutral shadows already, the Fun palette might be the way to go. I love the purples and green in this.

The same goes for the Stila In The Light palette. I've heard great things about their eyeshadows  (especially this palette) and this looks like it's full of shadows I would get a lot of use out of.

I've been loving The Body Shop lately and recently when I went in I had a smell of the new Vineyard Peach range, and it smells so good. I love my Cranberry Joy Body Butter, and use it a couple of times a week because I have really dry skin. Hopefully this range is still available when my Cranberry Joy one runs out. These lip glosses are new, and I'm pretty intrigued by them. I haven't had a chance to look at them in the shop, and I haven't seen any reviews on them either. I'm usually not a lip gloss kinda person, but if these are as good as their other products I'll give them a go.

The last 2 things are some shoes of Modcloth that I'm loving. I have a little bit of an addiction to Modcloth and over the last 2 years my wardrobe has become dominated by dresses from the site. It was also the first website I bought shoes off, and so far I've been able to wear every one (I have really wide, short feet, so usually finding shoes that fit is a nightmare). I own 2 pairs of TUK's already and they're super comfy. And who can go past a pair of shoes that have cats on them?! Not me! I already own a pair of these sandals in yellow that I managed to get on sale for less than half price! They're so great for 

summer, and I'd love go get another pair.

Have you tried any of these products? Or are they on your wish list?

Summer lips

This summer I have really been digging bright lips. After my Coral Polish post, it'll be no surprise that my love for coral has eased it's way into my lipstick collection. Here are a few of the lippies that I've been wearing a lot on my lips lately. I've already posted about most of these so I wont to into too much detail.

Australis Colour Inject mineral lipstick - Honky Tonk. This is the sheerest out of these lipsticks. It was the first corally coloured lippy I got. It's a really wearable light pink coral and can be made more opaque with a heavier application. For such a cheap lipstick it has a surprisingly good wear time (contrary to what my first post on it said, I need to remember to use products more before blogging about them, haha) and will easily last through a 3 hour shift at work (yes, I do those...) and still look great.  See more here.

Sportsgirl Pout about It lipstick - Catwalk Queen - This is an almost fluro pink colour. It's so bright and out there, and is super fun to wear. See review here.

MAC - Vegas Volt. This was my first MAC lippy, and I love love love this colour. It's the perfect orangey colour when you don't want to look too outrageous. It's an amplified finish. See more here.

Innoxa - Watermelon. This is my most recent lippy and the colour is pretty much exactly what the name suggests - a bright pink watermelon colour. This is part of Innoxas summer mattes range, so it is literally made for summer.

Covergirl - Fairytale. I love covergirl lippies because they're super long lasting. This one is matte, bright pink with a hint of coral. I was lucky enough to receive this in a blog swap, and it doesn't look like it's currently available in Australia.

(l-r) Honkey Tonk, Catwalk Queen, Vegas Volt, Watermelon, Fairytale

Not shown - Revlon lip butter in Peach Parfait. I wanted to add this because I love it as a subtle peachy colour, but I seem to have misplaced it. Hopefully I can find it soon!