Body Shop Lip balm - Cranberry Joy

I found this little product the other day, sealed and stashed away in the deep dark black hole of my makeup drawer.

I found it to be a very exciting discovery - even more so when I found out that a) it was a different flavour to any other lipbalm I own (who would have thought it could be possible!) and b) the packaging is amazingly adorable.

It comes in a little tin with a pull-off lid. It's a lovely bright red and has a sweet little pattern circling the rim of the lid. As soon as you take the lid off there is an overwhelmingly strong fruity/berry scent that I am yet to decide if I like or not. I am a fan of the actual scent itself, but the strength of it is headache inducing. Nevertheless, once on the lips it tones down a little, and is a pleasant hint of berry.

The little pot is really quite huge and contains a heck of a lot of product (15ml or 13g to be exact). As it is a pot, it requires a bit of finger-dipping for application which could turn you off the product depending on your tolerance for this kind of lip balm application.

Like most of the lip balms from the body shop, they are more like toned down glosses than moisturising balms, but a lot of fun and good at sucking you in anyway. When I first saw the product I was a little (okay a lot) concerned with the seemingly large amount of silver glitter dispersed through the product. I am not a fan of glittery products at the best of times, especially on your lips. You needn't worry though, because once applied on the lips it magically disappears.

It's slightly tinted and makes your lips looks a slightly darker tint of pink or red. It feels so wonderful on the lips, I spend all day smushing them together. It's not at all sticky which is wonderful. It has no taste, which is probably a good thing. After a while it does feel a little drying, but it lasts for a long time before it gets to that stage. After another application your lips feel as good as new.

So, if you are on the lookout for plump, glossy, slightly red lips then this product is the way to go. If you are looking for moisture then I wouldn't spend my money on this (it costs $9.95 by the way). I do like this product - it doesn't tick all the boxes and the application side of things is an absolute pain, but I'm pleased with my find (and I love looking at the packaging!)

I give this product 7 out of 10.

Essence lipstick - Red Carpet

Yes, I am back with another Essence lipstick, but I must say, I think it is rather fitting considering my Essence poll just finished and many of you said you were Essence fans.

I had actually never taken an interest in this particular shade until I saw it on Tegan's blog 'Tegania's thoughts' when I was going through some of her older posts the other day, and decided that it was something that I had to have.

It appeared to be an amazing, bright warm toned red colour that looked absolutely gorgeous on her, and I hoped that if I was to go out and buy it, I would look the same.

Whilst I don't feel as though I can pull it off as well as she can, I am pleased with my purchase.

Like my other two Essence lipsticks, I bought it for the tiny cost of $3.95. It has the same smell as all the others - a sweet marshmallow kind of smell - and the packaging has changed colour accordingly (I love the way the Essence lipsticks do that!)

As usual I am pleased with the pigmentation of these lipsticks, although in this case it is a bit different to my other two. Red Carpet is a lot more pigmented and is unlike 'In the Nude' and 'All about cupcake' in that you can't just carelessly slap it on with the confidence of it looking incredible - because this red lipstick requires some effort. Despite this, it suits me just fine and in fact the increase in pigmentation is just how I wanted it.

I'm not really a red lipstick person by nature, so I can find it a little scary when I try pulling one off. This lipstick can be applied like a stain, which is the way in which I typically wear it. I just apply it and blot with a tissue and it still gives a tint of red, but it's not too 'in your face.'

I, as with the other two lipsticks, have been remarkably surprised and very much impressed by the amount of time that this 'stain' stays on my lips. I found that I can eat and drink and there is still colour left behind, though when I eat it's usually only a sandwich, and by drink it's just water. Still, I find this to be good staying power.

These lipsticks when freshly applied are glossy and make your lips look really juicy. After about an hour they do become a little drying, but a quick swipe of gloss or lip balm freshens it up and gives your lips that little bit of additional moisture they require.

Once again Essence has really impressed me, I give this 10/10.

My ever growing collection!

All about cupcake, In the Nude, Red Carpet

Red Carpet, All about cupcake, In the Nude

Fixing a broken nail - a temporary solution

The other day while I was simply mucking about the house in my trackies, I knocked my hand on the edge of the doorframe. Apart from it being quite painful, one of the nails tore, the edge only hanging on for dear life, bleeding and looking completely gross. After it stopped bleeding and I was able to clean it up a bit, I became aware of how horrible my nails looked - the middle nail was about 3mm shorter than the others and was hanging off the side. (Sorry about the descriptions by the way, there is a point to this story). The were only two solutions to this a - rewind time and walk through the door like a normal person or b - get fixing. I chose the latter.

I used some eyelash glue (no fancy brand, simply from some Sportsgirl eyelashes) and placed a tiny amount onto the base of the nail. I let it get tacky for about 30 seconds then pressed the part that had torn off back on. It was flimsy, yes, but then I went over it with a coat of coloured polish (I was already wearing that colour on all of my fingers) and then over it again with some clear polish.

This all took about two minutes and to be honest, it looks pretty darn impressive. You could barely even see where it tore. The main problem is that it isn't all that sturdy, which is to be expected...but it does the job in an emergency.

It's not a permanent solution and lasted only a day and then I had to fix it up again. Eventually I got sick of it, but the point of the story is that if you ever need to fix a broken nail really quickly and temporarily, give eyelash glue a shot. Then again, how often are you carrying around eyelash glue...

I have also heard of people using superglue and PVA glue, but to be honest I'm not all that convinced, and I'm not willing to go supergluing my nails back together, I think I'll just let it grow out! Let me know any of your tricks!

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Mascara - Black

I received this sample sized mascara from a friend who said she had enough mascaras open at the time but didn't want it to go to waste. I was looking forward to trying it but I have to say, I was kind of disappointed.

This mascara claims to give bold volume and lift lashes which I do agree with to a point. Whilst it does volumise lashes a little, I found that this was mostly due to the fact that it was quite clumpy and stuck several of my lashes together. This was not at all a defining mascara, in fact I spent a lot of time combing through my lashes with another brush in order to separate them.

The formula was very wet, and it was impossible to apply it without getting mascara all over my lids. No matter how hard I tried not to blink or make any eye movements, I still seemed to get mascara everywhere. It takes a remarkably long time to dry, and once it has dried it makes my lashes so crunchy. They were rock hard and seemed to be very brittle - I was cautious of touching my lashes too much in case they happened to snap off!

Despite these negatives, this mascara does have some good things to offer. I was amazed at just how dark it really was - my lashes were black as black and incredibly bold and dramatic. The effect it gave did border on spidery, so I did not want to use it on my lower lashes, but it was okay for the top ones. I wouldn't want to apply multiple coats - it gets incredibly crunchy and clumpy.

The brush I found to be okay, although I did seem to knock it all over my face. I don't know whether it was because I was particularly clumsy every time I applied it or whether it really was just an awkward brush.

I am a fan of the packaging - it looks classy and expensive in comparison to the mascaras by brands like Maybelline or Essence. The shiny gold lid in particular paired with the white makes it look just that extra bit special.

All up I was not a fan of this at all, and would not spend my money on it. I give it 4 out of 10.

Australis Lip and Cheek Tint - Portrait Pink

I bought this for three dollars at Priceline the other day. I had never seen them before but figured for three dollars I may as well give it a shot.

It comes in a pen type mechanism with a brush on the end. You click the 'pen' and then the product seeps into the brush ready for application. I clicked it hesitantly once, expecting a whole heap of product to shoot out, but nothing happened.  I clicked again and once again it was bare, and in the end I had to to about 50 clicks before I saw the product - then it exploded. Honestly, it went from no product at all to an explosion of the stuff all over the brush - it was crazy!

It was a completely different colour to what I was expecting, so much darker and plum coloured. The packaging had suggested that it would be a light, bubblgum kind of pink but it most certainly isn't!

I applied it to my lips and it did, surprisingly, look quite nice. I was relatively pleased with the initial outcome, and then just waited to see if it would last the test of time. As I was going about my daily business I must have licked my lips and holy moly - it tastes foul! Honestly, it has such a sour, chemical taste that is really quite awful. It's terribly strong and tastes bitter and disgusting. I find it strange because it is advertised as a lip and cheek stain, so why is it that it tastes so awful?

Despite the fact that I was a little put off by the horrific taste, I still wanted to get my money's worth (even if that was only three dollars!) so I tested it out as a cheek stain. I am pleased to say that it works remarkably well and it is actually quite attractive. It is super easy to blend and has the perfect amount of pigmentation. It is pretty long lasting and looks good with or without foundation. It looks so natural, it is most definitely a lovely cheek stain.

I really do like it as a lipstain but I can't handle the foul taste. It is much better when you apply a lipgloss over the top (the Australis one in Jazz looks gorgeous!) but you have to keep reapplying to ensure that the taste is masked by the gloss.
It has a faint smell of roses (which is most definitely not what it tastes like!) so it's alright to have on the cheeks. When I get the product all over the packaging, it appears to be full of shimmer, but on my skin the shimmer completely disappears.

All up I am pretty glad I purchased this for three dollars as I will use it often as a cheek stain, but if you are looking for a good lipstain then I wouldn't suggest this. I give this a 6 out of 10.

Also, does anyone know if this is discontinued? The priceline I went to had a whole bin full of these, hundreds of them, but I have never seen them before...

Swatched, blended

Australis Lip Travel Case

Somehow I came home with this when I went out grocery shopping. I don't even know how that happens...

Anyway, this wasn't a completely impulse purchase - I had seen a couple of reviews about it. Basically it is a little set of five lipglosses in the shades Contemporary, Lambada, Bellydance, Jazz and Bollywood. All of these shades are available in their full size in the normal range, but I chose to purchase this lip set so that I could test out five different shades (if you ask me, these are the five best shades as well, although don't take the website's word, the shades are so incorrect!). As this was on sale at Priceline for $9.96  (apparently it retails for $15) it actually turned out to be cheaper than just one of the normal sized glosses which sell for $11.95 - Bargain!

The little box that they come in has a magnetised strip across the front, making it a convenient flip top lid. The lipglosses fit in pretty snug - so much so that it can be quite difficult trying to get them out. There is a circular mirror on the inside but it is pretty small, I would have much preferred a large rectangular one that extended over the whole surface of the lid.

At first they appear to be so tiny, which I guess in the scheme of things they are, but it is perfect for me because I don't tend to go through gloss too quickly, and I also really like having a range of shades. If I find one I really love I can then purchase the full size. Also, as the name suggests, this would be absolutely perfect for travelling because it's all packed away neatly and you can carry five different lip looks around with you.

As I briefly mentioned before, I really like selection of colours that are in it. I think they would be flattering on most skin tones, with most people finding at lease two or three that they really liked. I personally love all the shades which is fortunate. Only one of the glosses has any type of shimmer or sparkle, which is Contemporary, but it is so minimal I was considering not even mentioning it. Contemporary and Lambada I like to use sparingly as they do border on a little too pale.

The consistency of these glosses is just perfect in terms of stickiness and not too runny or thick, as well as the creamy texture. They do sink into the lines of your lips a little, which can be problematic if you are wearing the lighter colours, although it is only a minor problem. When worn over a lipstick it is absolutely fine.
They aren't terribly long lasting, but it's satisfactory. Of course when eating and drinking it does rub off. Compared to some other glosses that I own these seem to dry out pretty quickly, but what I am impressed with is that once the gloss is gone there is a significant tint to the lips that remains. This is particularly obvious with the three darker colours, of course.

Overall I am really glad I picked this up, and I give it 7 out of 10.

Priceline Bargains

Just letting any Australian girls know that Priceline is having some pretty good sales at the moment. They last until the 18th June, so if you are interested you can read the online catalogue here.

Maybelline is selling for 1/2 price, Revlon for 30% off (the lip butters are $15 instead of the usual $22!) and Australis has a heap of $3 products! The face-a-holic palette is $10 and the lip travel case is also $10 though some stores might not stock them. As far as I am aware, these are actually discontinued products, so if you're interested, be sure to check it out!

Rimmel London, Bourjois and Models prefer is 20% off, and select MaxFactor products are $9.99. I don't normally advertise these kinds of things, but I must say, those are some pretty awesome deals!

Essence Lipstick - In the nude

Back in April I posted about another Essence lipstick in 'All About Cupcake' and it didn't take long for it to become one of the popular posts on my blog. I was really glad about that, because it deserves to be - these lipsticks are great!

These lipsticks cost $3.95 at Target but I would pay so much more. I love the fact that the packaging matches the shade of lipstick, and that there is no possible way for the cap to catch on the lipstick as you try and put it back on (I'm talking about you BYS lipsticks!) They have a sweet marshmallow kind of smell that I find pleasant and are the perfect size to carry around with you.

Essence, in case you haven't heard the hype, is relatively new to Australia, only sold at Target but so worth checking out. I can basically guarantee that when you get to the stand you will look down on it (I always do despite the fact that I know the products are good) because the some of the packaging looks cheap and childish, and because 99% of the time the products have been smushed everywhere, but if you can sort through the lipgloss covered eyeshadow to where the unopened gems lie, it is so worth it.

The formula of these lipsticks is really sheer and no-mirror friendly. By this I mean it is very safe to apply without looking at a mirror - you can really trust it to look great despite the fact that you probably haven't kept within the lines! This of course does have a lot to do with the shade, but a lot of it is because it is quite sheer. Normally I would not approve of sheer lipsticks, but these seem to be just right in terms of pigmentation. You can wear these daily, and even the brighter colours are appropriate because they are more of a stain as opposed to an opaque 'WOW' kind of formula.

These lipsticks are very moisturising, although after prolonged wear they do end up being quite drying. I personally find that I eat or drink it off before it gets the chance to dry out, but with another swipe over the top it immediately fixes the problem. It makes your lips rather juicy and gives them an appropriate amount of sheen.

I am constantly reminding myself of the fact that these lipsticks only cost four dollars yet are so good. I am always skeptical of terribly cheap makeup, and sometimes it is for good reason, but Essence is yet to disappoint me.

If you are new to lipsticks, looking for a sheer(ish) colour or simply want to test out a new lippie, I would seriously suggest you make your way to Target and check this out. This particular colour is the perfect nude colour that won't make you look dead but will instead make your lips look healthy and plump.

I give this lipstick 10/10.

A little clean up

I have been so unbelievably busy lately, and unfortunately I will continue to be like that for the next three weeks. I hate to say it but my blog is going to suffer, though I am going to try my best and post as often as possible.

Due to my chaotic life lately, my makeup organisation was the last thing on my mind and it managed to get a little out of control. I spent last weekend cleaning it up a little. It is by no means perfect, and I am not 100% happy with it, but it is better than it was before!

I cannot stand the colour of this - the orange is awful, but until I find
a white one, this will have to do!

My temporary brush holder

And this is how it looks now after a little bit of cleaning up...

This was really easy to do and looks so much better than that old mug

I'm still not completely happy with how my makeup is stored, there is still a whole heap shoved away somewhere...(beware, it's disgraceful!)

But what can you do...

Monthly Favourites - May

Another month has passed, so it's time for my Monthly Favourites.

This month I rediscovered just how amazing the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub is. When I first purchased it I went crazy, using it about five times a day, and then I kind of forgot about it for a while. It was only this month when I picked up a couple new lipsticks and realised how gross my lips were that I got this back out again, and now I use it religiously every morning. I am not at all a morning person, but this product makes them just that little bit more bearable!

In the eye department is my Maybelline Eyestudio gel liner in brown. When I first got this I was absolutely useless at applying it, so I avoided it like the plague. For some reason over the past two months I really got into the idea of eyeliner, and so this awesome product has been by my side almost every day. If you are a fan of gel eyeliners then there is a good chance you will like this one.

For the face is my BYS blush in Pretty in Pink. I put myself on a Project 1 pan (don't laugh!) and this is the product I have been trying to use up. It really is a pretty pink colour, with a hint of shimmer but nothing too gross. I get this feeling this will be one of those products that is going to last a very, very long time...


In terms of nails, I really haven't been wearing all that much polish to be honest, but I have been into this cute little packet of nail files that are SO convenient to carry around. Pretty and convenient at the same time - it's a win!

Last is my 'other' product, which for this month has been my Natio eyelash curler. Where I used to use it on special occasions, I pretty much use it everyday. My eyelashes do have a lot of natural curl to them, but this gives it that little extra boost which makes all the difference.

That's all for my May favourites, did you like anything new this month?