Bourjois Blush - Rose Frisson

I have always read posts praising the brand Bourjois, in particular their 'Healthy Mix Foundation' and blushes. When I was at Target the other day and all the blushes were on sale for $5, I knew I had to purchase my very first Bourjois product to fall in love with.

I almost instantly picked the shade I wanted (rather unusual for my indecisive self) and ran to the Price checker to double check that every shade was five bucks, not just the horrid left over, unloved deep brown shades. Sure enough I was in luck!

My first impressions of this blush was that it was tiny, really tiny. I love the pink packaging with the gold print, small and classy, but gosh it seems small. The little brush provided is, as most 'token' brushes are, useless. I think I could use it at a push, but it is much too fiddly and a strange shape. The mirror is also a waste of space - too small to show much more than my nose (not particularly helpful for applying blush!)

I love that instead of having an awful clasp that results in chipped nail polish when trying to open it, it has a magnetic strip that holds it shut. This is how all products should be!

I love the shade of this blush, which is a gorgeous pink that is not too shimmery, but does have an element of shimmer that gives it 'glow.' It is pigmented enough to make an obvious difference when applied, but not so much that it is impossible to wear without looking like a clown. I was concerned that it would be a little too light and bubblegum looking, but it is absolutely perfect!

The lasting power is pretty good, but by the end of the day I feel as though it has completely worn off. This really doesn't bother me as I usually have a bit of colour in my face at the end of the day anyway so I don't really need much blush.

So far so good right? Well here is the problem - this blush stinks. Literally.

Who forgot to mention that these blushes reek of roses? Every review I ever read about these was a huge rave post on the shade, lasting power, brand...no one told me it smelled like grannies? I don't think it is the actual scent that bothers me so much - it does smell like roses which of course is linked to the name. Roses can be pleasant at times. I think the problem is that the smell is so potent. As soon as you open it the odour is overwhelming. I love fragrances in makeup - lipstick that smell like lollies are a big tick in my books (Essence, I am talking about you!) but this is absurd.

I really, really like this blush but there are two things I fail to understand. 1. Why it smells so strong, and 2. Why they cost $20 in the first place. Maybe I am just being stingy, but $20 for a lower end blush (I consider everything in Priceline to be relatively low end, at least in comparison to Chanel, YSL and Clinique) that is pushing it. Perhaps if there was a bit more than 2.5g of product then it would be alright, but I think that is a bit much.

Despite the smell, I am a huge fan of this blush and I will willingly put up with the fragrance to wear it on a daily basis. In fact, this blush has been on my face everyday (which is not helpful for my project 1 pan, which I haven't forgotten about!) I give this 8/10.

Revlon Lip Butter - Sweet Tart

I did it, I finally bought a lip butter. After much deliberation and internal conflict I went out and purchased one of these insanely popular little things, for the sale (but still ridiculous) price of $15. I know that every man and his dog has blogged/swatched/raved about these but it's finally my turn and I am going to enjoy it! I feel like I have finally become a 'real' beauty blogger, after all, the first rule of beauty blogging is that one must own a lip butter (or ten).

I also know that every Australian man and his dog has complained about the Australian prices, but for good reason - $21.95 is absurd. Absurd! The first time I saw them in Australia it was at my local chemist and they tried to charge me $17.95 - I now realise this is cheaper than every other place. I was disgusted and decided not to buy any whatsoever...I wasn't going to spend that much on what is essentially a lip balm! I lasted quite a while but I've finally given in!

You have to understand that I have been drooling over these for months, so I was expecting a magical product that was perfect in every way. I spent years at the Revlon stand ensuring that I had picked my perfect colour, swatching the whole range on the back of my hand. After a while I decided that Sweet Tart was what I would probably get the most use out of. I did love Candy Apple but after a lecture from a friend of mine, she made me come to the realisation that I would rarely wear it. She's right of course, but I still think Candy Apple is a beautiful colour.

Sweet Tart is a warm toned pink, and it is really, really bright. The swatches are a little deceiving because on my lips it steals the show. I thought it would be a nice everyday colour, a little bit more pink and noticeable than my usual everyday colour but still neutral enough, but it's really not. I can dim it down a bit by applying and then blotting (thus making it more of a stain) but it's not the best way to do it. At first I was really quite disappointed with it, but I'm pleased to say I have really grown to like it, and now I love the shade.

It is really quite pigmented which is a good thing, however as the colour is so bright I may have liked it more had it not been so pigmented. It can most definitely be built up in layers which I am pleased about.

It has lasting power that I consider to be pretty good, once the initial layer wears off a slight stain is left behind. Eating and drinking kills the colour which is pretty common.

It is relatively moisturising, but after a long time is does get a little drying. This, like most lipsticks, can be fixed with another swipe to freshen it up. I think this product is correctly described as a lip butter. It has a glossy, juicy looking finish to it which I think is just lovely.

All up I have to say I am a little disappointed with this product, although it's simply because I had such high expectations. I can't really understand why the Internet exploded when these came out, because they really aren't that good, but apparently everyone believes them to be the best product ever invented. I think it is the price that has killed their goodness here in Australia. For twenty two bucks you have every right to expect something magical, but this really doesn't deliver. I most definitely wouldn't purchase another at full price, but I'd go for Candy Apple or Strawberry Shortcake if they were on sale for ten dollars. I give this 7/10.

Essence Colour and Go Nail polish - Better late than Never

This is the first Essence polish I have ever purchased and I am mightily impressed! I was drawn to this gorgeous creamy red colour and for $2.55 there was no way I was going to go home without it.

As usual, I am disgusted with these photos because they really do not showcase the true beauty of this colour. If you mixed watermelon with strawberries and cherry, this would be the colour you would get. It's the most perfect cool red, creamy and delicious looking. There is no hint of orange and it is absolutely perfect. From that, I gather you now understand how much I love this polish? Good.

As the name (kind of) mentions, it is a fast drying polish. This is a big factor for me because I am so impatient with nail polish, I want to slap it on and get out the door.

One coat of this is what I consider to be enough, although if you hold your nails on the right angle you could argue that two would make a significant difference.

The formula is really lovely, a perfect consistency. It lasts for what I consider to be a really good amount of time. On my fingernails I went five days with minimal wear and tear (basically none) and then on the sixth day I suffered chipping on two nails.

The bottle that is comes in is absolutely tiny, but for me this is ideal as I struggle to get through polish. I rarely wear the stuff. For 5mL you have to pay $2.55, which I think is pretty good really. It's not as cheap as Ulta, but few polishes are.

I can't decide if I like the name of the polish yet. 'Better late than never' is a bit of a strange thing to call it, but it is unique I suppose.

Like all the Essence products, I love this Essence polish for the size, price, colour and quality. I give it 9 out of 10.

Chelsea's giveaway

Chelsea from Super Purdy is having a 100 follower giveaway! The prize is a good one, including brands like Avon, Ulta3, Redwin organics, CG, Revlon and Rimmel London.  Unfortunately it is only open to Australian residents. If you are interested check it out here.

Homemade lip balm, body scrub and face mask

I have always admired the people who give DIY products a go but could never get around to trying it out myself. I thought it would be too hard, too expensive and would take up too much time. Surprisingly, this is not the case. I made a lip balm, body scrub and face mask with ease at a really cheap cost. I felt like I was part of a Lush store!

Honey Lip Balm
1. Fill a saucepan halfway with water and place a bowl inside
2. In the bowl, put 1 tablespoon of Beeswax and a teaspoon of Almond oil.
3. Heat and stir until they are completely mixed together
4. Remove from heat and add one teaspoon of honey
5. Stir until the ingredients combine
6. Once warm, pour directly into container and leave to set
7. The mixture should set remarkably quickly and is ready for use

Body Scrub
1. Fill your container to the top with sea salt. If the sea salt is too grainy, you can grind it as desired.
2. Add a small amount of Sweet Almond Oil
3. Add your favourite smelling oil (I used Orange oil as I love the citrus smells, but lavender, peppermint or tea tree would be fine too)
4. Mix together and use accordingly.

Oatmeal Face Mask
1. Add 3 tablespoons of oatmeal into a bowl
2. Add three teaspoons of vegetable glycerin
3. Add three teaspoons of honey
4. Add three teaspoons of water
5. Combine all ingredients to make a thick paste and put in container
(This mask does not keep for very long. Leave on face for twenty minutes)

So far I love the Honey lip balm, although next time I might include a bit more honey. The sea salt body scrub is brilliant, and I absolutely love the fragrance. I haven't actually used the Oatmeal mask yet but I'll let you know how it goes. The lip balm pot cost $1 and the larger pots $1.50. Little pots like these are difficult to find, but I spotted these at a small soap/health food store. I encourage you to try making your own products because it is so much fun! I got the recipes from different books and websites and there are thousands more wonderful recipes out there, so you will be sure to find something that appeals to you.

The magic of compliments

I recently went on a road trip to see the relatives who live out in the country. Í always love leaving the city to take a relaxing trip to the country - it is truly remarkable how different the feeling is.

For instance, you cannot walk into a shop (which admittedly is the only shop in the town, the IGA) without ten people saying 'Hello, how are going, lovely day isn't it?" to you. And those people are strangers.

When going about with my grandparents, who have lived in the country for years, they get stopped at least ten times when simply walking up the main street. They cannot do anything quickly because they stop to chat to so many people about so many things. I personally love the feel, but it does get annoying when you aren't in the mood to chat about Laura's cousin's friend who just had twins and is going to come to the local playgroup next week, or Peter's sheep who escaped the top paddock and had to be rounded up by all the farmers of the region. Nevertheless, I still love the country feel.

Anyway, the point of this story is the other day when my grandma and I were moseying about the Op-shop, I was stopped by two old ladies, probably about 80 or so years old, who grabbed the hem of my jumper and said "You look groovy!" Prior to this, I was feeling like a bushpig, no makeup, filthy hair and ridiculously tired, but after that little, rather interesting compliment, it gave me such confidence.

It can be scary giving compliments out in the city, or anywhere really. People, especially women, rarely respond well to them, and often doubt the sincerity of the comment. After all the effort you have taken to muster up the courage to comment on their hair/clothes/lipstick etc. you feel so bad about it all, but I think it is worth it, because if they are anything like me, it has made their day.

If giving compliments seems a bit to scary, try giving them out online. Beauty bloggers are friendly girls, I'm sure it would make their day if you wrote them a comment about how pretty they looks, or even how good their blog is.

I would love to know about some of the best compliments you have been given. Sometimes I think the ones given from strangers make you feel the best, because if a stranger has noticed it then it really must be good!

Girlz Only Dry Shampoo - Party Nights

This dry shampoo is terrible. Why? Because it encourages even more laziness in my beauty routine. Yep, this dry shampoo can squeeze another day out of my already filthy hair in the spray of a can. Another reason why it's terrible? Because it costs only $2 (last time I checked they were on sale at Target for $1.40) so I always have a spare can handy.

I going to say now that this review is probably not going to be as accurate as it could, simply because this is the first dry shampoo I have ever tried. I never felt compelled to purchase a Batiste one because I didn't want to pay such money to fix a problem that could be resolved by simply washing my hair. However, when you walk past these shiny cans of goodness in Target, you really don't have an option to resist.

My hair has natural tendencies to get really oily in the scalp and terribly dry at the ends, I guess that comes with having long hair. I wash it every second day, but since this product has come into my life it stretches to two days between washes way more often than it should.

Prior to trying this, my knowledge of dry shampoo was minimal. I knew that some made your hair go white, I knew that some were greasy and that some contained properties that could only be described as magical. I didn't realise how much I needed this product either!

This dry shampoo is very effective and does its job well. I don't really know how well because I have nothing to compare it to, but let's just go with well. It doesn't leave any white residue, it doesn't make my hair go crunchy and it doesn't look strange. I will admit, it isn't as good as if I just washed it and the greasiness of my hair is still questionable, but significantly better than without the dry shampoo.

I love the smell of this spray (it was my favourite out of the three different ones) and it's rather tempting to use it even when I don't have to, simply so I can make my hair smell nice.

I hate the packaging, but even more I hate the brand name. I don't know much about marketing and advertising, but I can guarantee more people would give this seemingly dodgy brand a chance if they just had a half decent name. Girlz only? Honestly? You could have at least spelt it correctly.
I do like this product, but as I said - sometimes it's worth to stop being lazy and just wash your hair. I would suggest you take this and guard it with your life when going on holidays, because it is then that you really appreciate the hair wash in a can.

I give this product 7 out of 10.

Sweetaholic Beauty's Giveaway!

Jasmine from Sweetaholic beauty is holding an amazing giveaway full of brilliant Aussie products. It is international so everyone can enter it if they wish! There are some brilliant prizes.

It is open for another 38 days, for those who are interested.

You can find the giveaway here.

Haul - Revlon, Face of Australia, Australis, Bourjois

I haven't had a decent beauty haul in what seems like ages. I went shopping with a friend of mine recently with every intention of purchasing a heck of a lot, and came back with some products I have been admiring for a long time.

First up was Myer, where the Revlon Lip Butters were on sale for $15. Whilst I still think it is a little excessive in price for what is essentially just a tinted lip balm, I knew I had to buy one. I had been selecting a shade for months now, swatching all the shades every time I went into a Priceline, and so I knew it would be Sweet Tart that would be coming home with me. Isn't it gorgeous?!

I then went running to Target where I bought three more exciting products. The Face of Australia lip crayons weren't on sale but I had to get them anyway. All three shades come in a pack for $15, which means that each crayon costs only five dollars! These have been compared to the ridiculously priced Clinique Chubby Sticks ($35) which I don't own, but I am interested in seeing how the Face of Australia ones turn out.

I then went past the Australis stand and noticed the Nudist palette for the lovely cheap price of $5! Weeks ago it was selling for $12 and then it went down to $10, but I am so glad that I bought it for five!

Last but not least I noticed the little Bourjois stand. Only the other day I read the blog Sleep and Water where I admired the beautiful post on the Bourjois blushes. To my delight, the blushes were on sale from $20 down to only $5. I ended up purchasing the shade Rose Frisson.

I will be posting reviews on all of these products, of course, in the upcoming month. Have you tried any of these products?

A new feature on my blog

I've been wanting to create a page recording all the poll results I have from this blog for a long time, and finally I think I have had enough polls to do it!

I love getting the opinions of others and finding out what people think about particular things. I am going to have polls about once a month and I would love for you to participate. It's so easy and all you need to do is just click!

I am then going to collate the results and publish them on my new page, Blog Poll Results.

I hope you all share your opinion, and feel free to request polls for the blog!

Savvy eyeshadow trio - Dusty Pink

The last of my Savvy posts for a while, is the eyeshadow trio in Dusty Pink. I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to purchase this, considering it possesses a number of characteristics that I don't like. The first is that the shades aren't separated by any pan. This bothers me so much as I find there are always little crumbly bits that mix into the other shade. The other problem I have with this is that in order to open it you have to chip your nail polish or bust a nail trying to lever open the latch. Last but not least is that the colours are so similar to one another, especially when swatched. I knew this when I used the tester in Priceline but yet for some silly reason I still went ahead and bought it. Why on Earth did I do that?

Anyway... as mentioned, a big problem I have with this is that once applied on the eyelid, it is really difficult to tell the difference between each of the shades. In the pan they look reasonably good but when you apply them they just all the look the same. In the swatches on my hand they would appear to be quite different from one another, however I had to layer the shadows up multiple times to achieve this effect.

The pigmentation of these shadows isn't great, although if you stick at it they can be layered (to a point). There is more shimmer than there is colour which I struggle to appreciate. The shimmer also seems to find its way all over my face which I also don't find to be a wonderful quality.

When using a brush to apply the shadows I struggled to get any of the shadow to show up, but using fingers allowed me to get a more pigmented result. This is okay, but I am not a fan of using my fingers as it is less precise and a lot messier.

These shadows are pretty silky, although there is an element of chalkiness to them. It is difficult to tell how long they last because they are quite sheer, but they don't make it through the whole day.

They crease a little, but not to a terribly concerning extent.

I didn't hate this product but I found it to be a bit of a nothing kind of product. The pigmentation was in the middle, the texture was in the middle, and the lasting power was too. It is for these reasons that I can only give this product a 5/10. Even though this product was cheap, I wouldn't suggest you purchase it.

Savvy Brushes - New vs Old

When I purchased some Savvy brushes a long time ago, I was mightily impressed with the quality - not because the bristles were heavenly or the durability was incredible, but because it cost me three dollars for six brushes. I have used these brushes every day since January and they are still strong, serving me well. In fact, I love these 50c brushes so much that I don't use any others that have the same purpose as these.

When Savvy's new range came out and there were some new brushes, of course I was going to stock up, I would be crazy not to.

The brush set contained four brushes (is that a strange number or is that just me?) including a powder brush, lip brush, concealer brush and eyeshadow sponge. Once again I find that a strange combination.

Basically, if you don't feel like reading the rest of this review, I shall sum it up right now - it is a waste of money. The powder brush and eyeshadow sponge are absolutely useless, although the concealer and lip brush are alright.

Powder brush
This brush has rough bristles that are useless for applying powder (or blush, or bronzer for that matter). They fall out often and the brush isn't particularly dense. It's also really quite small in my opinion. Not worth your money.

Eyeshadow sponge
First of all I am not a fan of eyeshadow sponges for applying makeup. I prefer brushes and think that it is actually quite strange to include an eyeshadow sponge when a brush is so much better. This is quite a soft, dense sponge but stains upon first use and is simply too difficult to use effectively. I'm not a fan.

Concealer brush
This concealer brush saves the whole set. The bristles are soft, dense and sensibly sized and it is actually useful for applying concealer, especially on pimples and blemishes. I tend to use my fingers to apply concealer because it is a lot quicker (and means that I don't have to wash the brush later) but this allows for precise application and decent coverage.

Lip Brush
I have an Australis lip brush which I rarely use (simply because I'm too lazy to use a lip brush) but I find it pretty good when I do need one. My only problem with it is that it is not very sturdy as it breaks into two parts. This is where this Savvy one is better because it is one sturdy handle. The rest of the features of the brush are pretty much on par with the Australis one.

All up this is terribly disappointing considering I adore my old Savvy Brushes. I would not spend the ten dollars it costs to purchase this set, which is lucky as I got it as a free gift when I spent over ten dollars on the rest of the Savvy line. Don't bother spending your money on this set, unless you desperately want a cheap, semi-decent quality concealer or lip brush.

Savvy Lipstick - Pretty Pink

This is going to be part of a (very) small series of posts on a couple of the products from the small, unnoticed brand found in Priceline that has recently updated their range - Savvy.

Savvy and I have had a pretty good relationship over the years - Savvy provided me with my favourite lipglosses ever (even after about two years of testing and discovering other brands, they are still my favourite, but of course with the recent update they are now discontinued), cheap lipsticks, ridiculously pigmented blush, giant bronzer, my first liquid eyeliner, good brushes and a heck of a lot of translucent powder. It was never a popular or highly respected brand (the range was small and there really were some shocking products) but it meant I could snap up all the goodies and have them all to myself! Priceline was always having sales on the brand, especially when they were trying to discontinue the range and had an 'everything for three dollars' sale - whether its RRP was two bucks or twenty!

A while back when Savvy had a 'makeover' I was quite looking forward to what exciting products were to come. I also hoped that the price and quality would remain consistent. Now that the products have come out and been out for a little while, I've discovered that unfortunately that is not the case.

Whilst the new packaging and logo is much more appealing, for some reason the products really haven't called out to me. The price has gone up and the range is about the same, but I'm not particularly interested in their products any longer.

Nevertheless, I still went out and purchased a lipstick and, despite all the negative talk I just gave you up above, I really, really love this lippie.

You might know from my posts highlighting my tendencies to gravitate to pink or nude lipsticks or my frequent declarations of my love for natural and neutral makeup that I like to play it safe the majority of the time. Sure, red lipstick is a blast and crazy eyeshadows can be so much fun (now that I think about it, more frightening that fun) but the products I love most are my everyday neutrals. This humble lipstick is exactly what I adore - a 'your lips but better' shade, ideal formula, easy to wear and 'slap it on' type application. Wonderful!

This lipstick in 'Pretty Pink' travelled with me on my recent road trip and it was the only lip product I wore for about five days. It was also the cause of a small heart attack when I thought it was going to be run over by a car, despite the fact that it is so cheap to replace (FYI, it is not a good idea to rummage through your handbag while crossing the road, there is a good chance things will fall out and get run over.)

Anyway, this lipstick is a beautiful natural dusty pink colour perfect for my lips and skin tone. It has a reasonable lasting power, but of course wears off after eating. The formula is slightly drying but all up relatively good. The price is lovely, on par with Essence and BYS and the shade range is pretty impressive (although about 50% of the shades are strange ones that few people would pick as pretty, but that's okay). The packaging is nice and plain and I love how the shade is displayed on the bottom. It also makes a lovely 'clicky' noise when you put the lid back on which is a bonus.

All up, I am a fan of this lipstick and have been wearing it continuously for a number of weeks. Even though I spent a large portion of this post complaining about the changes this brand underwent, there are some good things that have come out of it, and this lipstick is one of them.

I give it 9/10.

Shrinking Wallet's giveaway!

Abigail from Shrinking Wallet...I may have a problem...is holding a giveaway!

It is open to Australian residents only, but includes some of the most wonderful prizes. If you are an Aussie girl and are interested, check it out here.

It finishes on the 2nd of August 2012.

My New Purse

In my excitement I had to blog my newest bargain - this purse from Bluebird.

Isn't it lovely?!

The best bit is that it cost $15!

My Travel Makeup Bag

When I go travelling, whether it be for a weekend, a week or a month, whether it be a camping trip or a luxurious stay in a hotel, I always pack too much makeup. Always.

I'm the kind of person who packs 'just in case,' justifying any ridiculous additons to my suitcase with the phrase 'but what if...(insert ridiculous scenario here).' Who knows, maybe I will end up going out to dinner at a posh restaurant in the middle of a camping trip, which of course would mean I have to pack my red lippie. It hasn't happened yet, but it could.

I have noticed that when I go travelling, any plans that I have made regarding the kind of looks I am hoping to wear and the makeup I am planning to apply fly out the window. I become terribly lazy and only want to wear the bare minimum, if any at all. Nevertheless I still pack way to much makeup, and enjoy every second of cramming as much as I can into the little nooks and crannies of my already overpacked suitcase (I am an expert at shoving yet another blush inbetween my socks and another mascara in the pockets of my third pair of jeans!)

This time is going to be different though, I am going to pack as little as possible because I am only going on a road trip for five days. I do not need ten lipsticks in a range of pinks, nor do I need three foundations. At least, that is what I keep telling myself.

Here are the lucky products  that have wiggled their way into my makeup bag. I doubt most of them will be worn, and I'm sure whatever I leave out I will need, but sometimes you just have to go with the flow and deal with it.

- Girlz Only Dry Shampoo
- Covergirl Lash blast length waterproof Mascara
- Garnier BB cream
- Maybelline Dream Lumi touch Concealer
- Maybelline Dream Matte Powder
- Essence lipstick - All about Cupcake
- Essence lipstick - In the Nude
- Savvy lipstick - Pretty Pink
- Nivea fruity shine lipalm - Pink Guava
- Maybelline baby lips balm - Limited Edition
- Essence lipgloss - Me and my Ice-cream
- BYS blush - Candyfloss
- Brushes - Kabuki, Contour and blush, eyebrow brush/comb
- Essence eye souffle - Pas Des Copper
- Maybelline eyeshadow trio - Autumn Spirit
- Clean and Clear Moisturiser
- Marc Jacobs 'Daisy eau so Fresh' Perfume
- Smart Skin Makeup wipes (I only use them when travelling as I am always too lazy/tired to wash my face properly!)
- Essence Clear Brow Gel
- Tweezers
- Nail file

Okay, so maybe there are a couple of additional products that I don't really need, but I think this is pretty good. It is quite amazing how little space these take up to be honest, I can cram all the makeup into this lovely Tommy Hilfiger makeup bag I am so glad I received as a present, and have room to spare!

Essence Clear Brow Gel

I had been looking for this particular Essence product for ages but it never ever seemed to be stocked. When I finally found it I snapped it up, and I have now been religiously using it for weeks.

I wasn't exactly sure what it was going to be like as I hadn't read any reviews about it, but I needed one and wanted it to be cheap (who wants to spend money on something you can't see anyway!).

First of all is the packing - I get that it is a clear brow gel/clear mascara, but that doesn't mean the packaging has to be clear too. Honestly, it's so unattractive and looks tacky. It would make the world of difference if it had simple black packaging and a nice black lid...oh why Essence, why?!

As for the actual product, I'm pretty pleased with it. I apply this in the morning with the rest of my makeup, and I don't touch it up during the day. It feels really sticky and gross when first applied, but once it dries out you can't tell it's on, even if you do touch your eyebrows. It doesn't make them crunchy and there is no visible residue left.

In terms of holding power, I am pretty impressed. It doesn't have the power to make them stay put during a cyclone, but I can be confident that my brows are still groomed for the majority of the day, even if I do need to give them a quick 'boost' with a swipe of my fingers every now and again.

I didn't want a product that made them look terribly rigid and unnatural, but I did want something that I could rely on to keep them looking half decent - and this was suitable.

In terms of a mascara, I really don't like it. Because it is such a wet and sticky formula when first applied, it is so very uncomfortable. It does dry but I cannot be bothered applying it when it really does make no visible different. It doesn't thicken, define or make the lashes glossier, so there is really very little point.

One problem that I do have with it is that after using it for about a month, the formula went from lovely and crystal clear to horribly cloudy and gross! I don't know if all mascaras do this and you just can't see it because the tube isn't clear, but seriously - it's awful. I'm am currently debating whether to chuck it and get a new one or continue using it despite the cloudy appearance it currently has.


All up I give this product a 7/10.

The big chop - My terrifying haircut!

Okay, I'll give you a bit of background information about my hair. Earlier today it was long, very long, 80cm long in fact. (If you are wondering about the accuracy of this measurement, I pulled out three hairs, measured them and they were lengths of 80cm, 80cm and 79cm) It wasn't styled with layers, although there were some slight layers framing my face at the front. When my hair was down, when I sat on a chair it just touched the seat. It's pretty thick, so it gave me headaches when it was pulled back in a ponytail. There was too much for an attractive looking bun, and it would get too knotty when I wore it down, so my hairstyles were as follows: ponytail, plait, ponytail, plait, repeat. Was my hair particularly attractive? No, not really. So why did I have it like that?

Because when you have long hair you get ridiculously attatched to it.

It took months of convincing myself that a chop would be a good idea. Months of of friends telling me that it wouldn't look any different, and that I should cut 20cm, 30cm off!

I only cut about 10cm but it feels like half my hair is gone! I will miss the 'Wow you are like rapunzel!' 'I wish I had hair like yours,' and 'I used to have hair like that but then I cut it all off and it never grew back ever again - never ever cut your hair!' kind of comments. Even the ridiculous 'you have long hair' comments, to which I responded with 'Really?! Thanks for telling me, it could have been dangerous had you not informed me of that!' I will miss. A long haired friend of mine, who recently cut it off to shoulder length in fact (and sold it for $1000) said the comments I will get now are 'Oh wow you look so much better, seriously you looked disgusting before but now you look great!' and 'Did you cut your hair?' (to which she responds with 'No I just grew it shorter.')

As you can see in the pictures, my hair looks soooooo much nicer now. Admittedly, in the before photo it was half wet so it looks a lot scrappier than it actually was, but I am so glad I cut it.

Before

After

Maybe you don't think it is much of a change, I get that I am being a little ridiculous and exaggerating slightly, but seriously, to me it is as if I have shaved my head bald!

I do like it much better - it feels thicker, healthier and really does look more attractive, but honestly, it's so strange. Everytime I touch it it stops so early, and brushing it does my head in! It is still a little too blunt for my liking - a little bit harsh and bleurgh, but it's alright.

Anyway, I would love to hear about any of your hair stories. Are you precious about your hair, or are you the spontaneous 'How about we colour it bright red and hack it all off!' kind of person?

Monthly Favourites - June

Time for another Monthly Favourites! June was a terribly busy month for me, and I spent a week away which was lovely but meant that I didn't get up to much posting (my apologies) as I had limited internet access.

Being away meant that I was using basic products that were simple,easy and did the job. My trusty Covergirl mascara was the only mascara I used this month and it is definitely the winner of the eyes category.

For nails this month I wore my Ulta polish in watermelon. I had forgotten how beautiful it actually was and then when I applied it I fell in love with it all over again! It is the cheapest nail polish I think you can get in Australia, and the quality is just brilliant. The colour range is huge (with both hideous and gorgeous colours) but so worth checking out.

 For the face I wore a lot of the BYS blush in Candyfloss. I own two BYS blushes in the shades Pretty in Pink and Candyfloss and they are amazing blushes that cost approximately four dollars! This month I was craving warmer peachy colours, and Candyfloss fit this perfectly.

For lips I came back to my Nivea Fruity Shine lip balm (Fact of the day - this review was the first ever post I did on my blog!) This balm is moisturising and has the most incredible tint to it - suitable for pretty much any lip colour. It also smells great, and is oh so cheap.

Last but not least was my 'other' category. This was a tricky one to do this month, but I thought I might include a bracelet that I have been wearing quite regularly. It's unlike any other bracelet that I own, and is bordering on a little strange. If I remember correctly, I think I picked it up really cheaply at an Op-shop. I will admit, it is a little uncomfortable, but because it is so cool I can deal with it! It's a hard, chunky plastic bracelet but inside is a material pattern with jewels. Have no idea what I am talking about? Fair enough - just look at the pictures below!

I'm curious to see what you think of the bracelet - the responses I get towards it are of the two extremes - either "Oh my gosh I love your bracelet, it's so unique and the coolest ever!" or "What on Earth is that, it's hideous!" Let me know if you love it or hate it!