A new year and week's worth of shadow

Hello, it's 2016. What the heck. Since it's already the 20th of January, I'm not going to repeat the usual stuff you say in the new year because you've already read a billion of those posts.

I've been on holidays, road trippin' with my boyfriend for weeks. Yep, it was totally teenage movie-esque full of camping, ice-cream, beaches, starry nights and loud music. Damn, I was living the dream.

But now I'm back and starting to think about the year ahead. I'm going to get around to making some little goals - I hope to write a post about it once I've really gathered all the information in my own head! - and thinking about what is to come.

In the meantime, I thought I'd give you an interesting post (that, by the way, has taken me so long to make). It's 6 eyeshadow looks that I wore over a period of two or so weeks. Most of them involve some of my newer shadows by Sleek and Makeup Geek. Enjoy!


Date Night

My boyfriend and I went out dancing and I felt it was the perfect chance to get a little glam. I've always been hesitant around black and grey shadows but I think I managed to pull it off in a classy manner! I used my Makeup Geek Shadow in Corrupt as a base shadow, with Urban Decay's shadow Virgin on the inner corner and Half Baked in the centre of the lid. Both of the Urban Decay Shadows are from the NAKED palette. My mascara was the Rimmel Scandal Eyes.





Dessert bar with the girls

I have been loving exploring all the dessert bars around the place with my friends. I chose Inglot's shadow in 09. It's a stunning rose gold that changes from the rose to the gold in the light which you can see from the photos. I put a tiny bit of MAC's Cork in the crease, lined my eyes with the Maybelline Master Precise Liquid liner and put on some Rimmel Scandal Eyes Mascara.

Lazy day at home

Purple shadow was never something that interested me at all, however when I purchased the Makeup Geek Starter palette it came with some purple shades and I've since found them to be really flattering. I used the lilac matte shade Unexpected and then applied a tiny bit of the dark shimmery purple Drama Queen in the outer corner. Because I have Hazel/Green eyes, I think it complements them really well. The one thing I do have to be careful of is that it doesn't look like I have a black eye! I used Maybelline's Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara.



Evening music gig

I decided once again to venture into the realm of black eyeshadows, using a matte black from the Makeup Geek palette called Corrupt. It is the only shade I used for this look. I simply lined my upper lashline with it and then blended it upwards, creating a very subtle smokey eye. I lined my upper lashline with a super thin line of Maybelline's Master Precise liquid liner, and smudged some of Rimmel's Exaggerate eye definer (in black) along my lower lashline.

Getting Creative

I picked up the Sleek i-Divine Palette in Storm and I couldn't resist getting a bit creative with some of the gorgeous shadows in there. The shades don't have names so I'll simply describe the colours I used. I used a golden olive shade all over the lid, with a dark forest green in the outer corner and champagne in the inner corner. I lined my upper lashline with the Face of Australia Kajal Eyeliner Stix in Horus. I put some of the golden olive on my lower lashline. I was surprised with how much I loved the green!

Christmas Party

In my opinion, a Christmas party calls for a cranberry coloured eye! I wanted to use my Sleek palette (again) which was perfect as it has a pink shade that I used all over my lids and a deep cranberry shade that I applied in the outer corners. I applied a tiny amount of shimmery white shadow in the inner corners. For mascara, I used Rimmel's Scandaleyes Rocking Curves mascara which has been my go-to for a while.

I don't wear red/cranberry shades often, but when I do I recall how much I love them!

2015 Boxing Day Haul - Illamasqua, Glasshouse Fragrances, OPI and more

This was the first year I'd ever taken advantage of the sales and gone shopping on boxing day. The first time, and the last.

My goodness how naive I was! I went into Rundle Mall excited about the bargains I was anticipating, only to find unbelievably long lines stretching out the doors of the shops, angry and hurried people pushing one another out of the way, and sales that many shop assistants told me started before Christmas and finished in February. What was I doing there?!

Nevertheless, I was in the mall and I figured I may as well make the most of it while I was there. To be honest whilst many sales were good, I don't think it was at all worth enduring the trauma to be a part of them! 

This is what I grabbed in the chaos!

Rubi Shoes Beach Towel

Black and white stripes are my thing at the moment, so when I spotted this towel for $5 down from $17 I couldn't resist. It's not super good quality but it was so cheap it doesn't really matter.

Illamasqua Velvet Blusher in Peaked
This is my first ever Illamasqua product so I am rather excited to use it! It was half price, down to $17.50 from $35.

Australis Pout Paste in Make me Blush
I've never tried any of the Pout Pastes so when this was on sale at Priceline for $4 I figured I couldn't go wrong.

Sally Hansen Double Duty Base and Top Coat
I'm sick of red polishes staining my nails so I hope this will help as a base coat. It was half price, down from $14.95 to $7.48.

2016 Diary from Typo

I rely on a diary for Uni and I am very specific about the layout and features. This one fit the bill and it was half price, so $8.50 down from $17. 

Le Tan Application Mitt
So I've never tried a hardcore self tan, only the gradual tan, but naturally I've acquired a shit ton over the years of beauty blogging. I'm going to be brave and give tanning a try since I am ghostly pale, and I heard an application mitt was a good start. I got it for $6.99 at Chemist Warehouse.

Rubi Shoes Sports Watch
When I was at the counter purchasing the towel the lady there convinced me to buy this white watch for $5, 50% off. What can I say, I'm easily persuaded.

The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer 

I've wanted to dabble in the balm for so long but it really is quite expensive, considering I have a billion highlighters anyway. The Balm was 30% off at David Jones and I saw it as my chance to try the brand out. It ended up being $21.00 down from $30. Not bad, not bad.

'Sh' mug from Typo
I am a science nerd and this mug states "Sh. The element of shut your mouth." Nuff' said. It was $5, half price.

Glasshouse 350g candle in Tahaa Vanilla Candle
At $42.00 (and no sale) this was not exactly a bargain buy, but my god I've wanted this for so long and if I can't get it for myself at Christmas then when can I? It is easily the most delicious candle I've ever come across.

OPI All Stars 10 pack
In David Jones these were on sale for $22.47 down from $44.95. I'd already spent so much money this seemed like a good idea. There are some gorgeous colours and for OPI polishes it's pretty good value.

Cutex Nail polish remover

A boring purchase, but a necessity considering all of the polishes I'd acquired!

So all in all, I'm thrilled with my haul although I know I'll never be braving boxing day ever again. I think I'll wait for some less hyped up sales.

MAC Eyeshadow Palate in Amber Times Nine AKA the biggest disappointment

This should have been the palate of all palates...My first ever MAC shadow, 9 in fact, all in beautiful shades I would get so much use out of and for a bargain (okay, heavy discount) of $65. Yet this palate has been such a huge disappointment. 

We'll start with the good things as this part will be short. As I mentioned, the shades, oh the shades. They are unbelievably beautiful and I knew as soon as I spotted this that I would get a whole heap of use out of them.

The packaging is lovely, and I actually quite like that they are smaller than the typical shadow size as I don't tend to use eyeshadows up terribly quickly. 

The price was an absolute bargain considering that single MAC shadows are $33 each. 9 MAC shadows for $65 seemed like the most perfect way to try out some highly raved about shadows that had been on my wishlist for a very long time.

And that's where all the positives finish.

This is undoubtedly one of the most poorly pigmented palates I have ever come across - I wouldn't pay $10 for it. There are three shades out of the entire palate that are visible on the eyelids; Georgia Peach, Cork and Aromatic. Notice that all of these are matte finishes.

The rest were hopeless. The lighter shades simply didn't show up on my skin tone, though I expect they might a little on darker skin. And then there were the glittery shades, poorly pigmented bases with chunks of glitter reminiscent of a child playing princess with those shoddy lip glosses marketed at 5 year olds. Honestly MAC, I know you must have good shadows because the whole world raves about them, so why did you muck this palate up?!

Furthermore, there were three shadows in particular that I was just bursting to try: Kitties (F), Creative Copper (L) and Don't Tell (L) which turned out to be the three worst shades. In fact, Don't Tell just makes me want to cry in despair for spending money on it. Sigh.

For the photos below, I swatched the shadow 2-3 times on my arm so as to make it as visible as possible.

There's really not much more to say about this palate except simply don't buy it. Perhaps and investment in two single shadows would have been wiser but at this point I've lost faith in MAC shadows. Please please please tell me if you have had any luck with this palate (or one of the other 9 shadow palates) because I really feel I must have received a dodgy one as so many people adore MAC shadows.

Sportsgirl Makeup - Lips & Nails

Sportsgirl makeup is something I've never ever looked into. I'm going to take a wild guess and say that it's due to the fact that I never enter the store because I can't afford the clothing. The other day, however, I was compelled to enter when I saw a heap of makeup significantly reduced and figured it would be a good time to give their beauty products a try.

I'm going to be honest here and acknowledge that I have no idea how it happened, but I ended up paying $1 each for the lipsticks and $2.50 for the nail polish. Bargain! There were very few options in terms of colour selection because only a couple of shades were part of the sale but I think I did a darn good job with my choices!

First up are the lipsticks, and let me tell you, I am a huge fan. They are both matte shades, although I feel that the pink shade 'Doll Face' is slightly less matte than Starlet. Despite this they are both so creamy, easy to apply and so comfortable to wear. I love that they are both so pigmented and have a really good lasting power. The red shade 'Starlet' stains the slightest bit however staining isn't really a property of either of the lipsticks. I believe these retail at full price for $10 and I can tell you they are so worth it! Sportsgirl also has a really great shade range of their 'Pout about it lipsticks' so you really must get your hands on them if you live in Australia.

L-R: Doll Face, Starlet

We then have their nail polishes, and I can't speak on behalf of the entire range since 'Head Start' is the only one I've ever tried, but like the lipsticks it is of a magnificent quality. This will sound really strange (it's a weird beauty blogger logic) but I don't actually particularly like the actual shade, I was more interested in trying out the 'jelly formula' it claims to have. I really love the formulation of this polish and found that it was completely opaque in two coats with high shine. It also lasts really well - the photos in this post were taken three days after application, and as you can see there was minimal wear visible.

So, as you can see, Sportsgirl makeup is bloody great! I have seen a couple of Aussie girls praising the products in the past on their blogs but still didn't take the plunge and actually check them out. I recommend that you do, especially as they seem to be having lots of sales at the moment. It is totally worth your money!

NOTD: OPI Nail Lacquer in Dutch Tulips

OPI is just one of those brands that I've always stared at longingly before moving on to the cheaper nail polishes. Though they have an incredible colour range and amazing reputation, I just couldn't justify spending $20 on them! Priceline started selling them for $10 and even then I was still a bit funny about paying that much for a nail polish, but when I got my first ever job on Monday I decided to buy myself a celebratory polish in the most gorgeous colour, Dutch Tulips.

I actually wasn't going to post this because I am so unhappy with the way that the photos turned out (it makes a cool toned polish seemed orange based!) but I was just so excited about the fact that I owned an OPI polish I couldn't resist! So here are some photos - if you consider buying the polish then check out other photos on google first!

So far I've been super impressed with the quality of this beauty, but it is still early days.

What do you guys think about OPI polishes? Worth the money?

Seeing Red - My pick of the Red Lipstick

Valentines Day is coming up, which means absolutely nothing to me, however all the red hearts and merchandise around the place means that I start to pull out my red lipsticks. I actually love wearing red lipstick (something I would never have said a couple of years ago!) so I thought I'd share my favourites with you!

When it comes to red lipsticks, I own all different kinds. Orange toned, deep oxblood, opaque, sheer, glossy, matte...you name it, I have it. Unlike my nude lipsticks, I don't have that one red that I always turn to, in fact, all of the ones in this post get their fair share of love!

First up are the orange toned lipsticks, the ones typically described as having 'warm undertones' that unfortunately, at times, can make your teeth look a little yellow.

The Essence lipstick in Red Carpet was my first ever red lipstick and I still think it is such a bargain. It costs around $4 and it is such good quality. It's got good pigmentation and is really moisturising with a glossy finish. I cannot recommend this lipstick enough!

Then we have one of my more recent purchases, an Australis lipstick (that I managed to snap up for $3!) in the shade Make a Wish. This is my most orange toned red, so much so that it could probably slip into the orange lipstick category it's so in the middle! I really love this one and have found the quality of the product to be excellent so far.

Last is a Revlon Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, the most sheer lipstick of the lot. I love this one for a swipe of colour that is super glossy and feels so good on the lips. 

Then we have the true reds, those that can neither be described as warm nor cool toned. The first of these that I have is an Arbonne lipstick in Strawberry, undoubtedly my favourite red shade shown in this post. This is the most pigmented, intense colour lipstick that I own, it seriously steals the show. I actually haven't worn this terribly often because it is so opaque but I should because it's just stunning.

Then I have one of the Revlon Colour Stay Ultimate Suede lipsticks in the number 095. I was surprised that this lipstick is on the more sheer side, as evident in the swatches on my arm, but it still has great colour and looks beautiful. This is more on the matte side but is by no means completely matte. 

Last but definitely not least are the cool toned reds, or in my case, those a lot deeper in shade. I never used to appreciate darker reds because I found them to be quite intimidating but I really got into them last year and can't imagine life without them,

My absolutely favourite is Rimmel London's stunning lipstick in number 107. This is not a lipstick that is a secret in the beauty world, it's very, very well known and for good reason, it's incredible. A deep red with purple undertones, it's absolutely gorgeous.

Then we have one of the Revlon Kissable Balm Stains which I love, in the shade Adore. This is a deeper red with hints of brown, however it is still really beautiful and flattering. This is a very minty smelling lipstick which makes it stand out from all of the rest!

It is clear that red lipsticks are a favourite in my books, and I hope they are in yours too. I used to be so frightened of them but there are so many out there to play around with it's quite easy to find one that you're comfortable with.

Have you been wearing any red lipsticks lately? 

L-R: Essence Red Carpet, Revlon Wild Watermelon, Australis Make a Wish,
Rimmel 107, Revlon 095, Arbonne Strawberry, Revlon Adore

Bourjois Colour Burst Glossy Finish Lipstick in Peach on the Beach

Once again I am upholding my tradition of purchasing a product months (even years) after it's taken over the world. I don't care, I get there eventually.

And once again, I have found myself smitten with a product you've all let fall to the back of your makeup drawers because this was cool years ago. I am here to remind you to get this magical little product back out again!

Bourjois is a brand that I've not given a real chance in the past because it is so much more expensive than its other counterparts (like Maybelline and Face of Australia). I do have two of their blushes which, admittedly, are pretty darn great, but I just can't justify forking out twenty bucks for a blush. You may as well go the whole hog and get one from MAC or NARS if you're going to do that.

Anyway, when their Colour Burst Glossy balms arrived in stores, people went crazy for them, and in particular the somewhat strangely named shade, Peach on the beach.

I was, at that stage, already convinced that it was the greatest shade in the world and that my makeup collection would forever be incomplete until the day I placed this little beauty upon my dresser. I wasn't wrong, my god this shade is beautiful.

I won't bore you with another recount of the packaging because I've gone on and on about how wonderful it is in the million other reviews I've done on lip crayons. I will say though that these are identical to the Revlon kissable balm stains.

The product itself is actually quite different to any other lip crayon I've tried. It is so creamy and smooth, almost too much in fact because at room temperature you are at risk of breaking the whole tip off completely, it is just that soft. Because of this, it also means that the application is quite thick and it can look like a thick layer of paint on your lips. In saying that, if you're careful to limit your application, it is juicy, glossy perfection.

The peachy pink shade is just ideal for everyday wear because it looks relatively natural whilst still pretty and flattering. Though there really never was a gap beforehand, I feel like this balm filled a 'natural lip kind of day' gap in my life!

One problem that I do have with this is that it accentuates any dry patches on the lips unlike anything I've ever seen! I have to be extra sure to exfoliate my lips before application because otherwise it just looks like hell. It does mean that to wear this well it requires a little bit of fiddling around, but seriously, it's so worth it.

If you are in need of want a stunning everyday kind of shade then you can't go past this beauty. I would highly recommend it!

Natio Wellness Body Scrub

Back in the day when 'My shower routine" videos were popular on youtube (by the way, does anyone else find them a bit weird?) I always laughed seeing girls talk about the fifty step process they went through in the shower. I myself love a good lush product like everyone else, but the reality is my showers are more race in, race out because I'm late to get to school. I simply don't have the time or the energy to spend half an hour mucking about, and I also don't like wasting all that water.

One product that has been a consistent feature in my routine, however, is the Natio Wellness Body scrub. This was gifted to my Mum who was not at all interested in it, and she passed in on to me after I took one sniff of it and declared that it was mine!

This sugar scrub is apricot and pomegranate and every time I open it I just want to eat it! I love that this leaves the slightest hint of scent on your skin, so that if you want to wear perfume it is no problem but if you want to go without, you smell fresh and fruity. I love going to bed after having given my skin a good scrub because I just smell all clean and fresh. 

I use this scrub about once a week, usually on a weekend when I feel like giving myself a bit of pampering because it does take a fair while to scrub your body down! It's relatively gentle and not too abrasive so you probably could use it multiple times per week, I'm just lazy! Because the sugar granules are large, it really allows you to scrub fairly hard and get rid of all the dead skin cells that desperately need to be rid of! It also contains an oil that soaks into your skin completely and makes it feel smooth and moisturised.

You don't actually have to use much for this to be effective. The sugar granules are so large that they don't dissolve quickly and you can work at scrubbing the skin, massaging it in really well. I really love the jelly/jam like texture and it feels so good working it into your skin. It lathers up slightly so it's soapy and easy to work into your skin. If you only use this once a week like I do, I think it would last you quite a long time, and for around $15-20 it's worth every cent!

I've never felt the need for a body scrub before, but after this I am an absolute convert and I'm actually quite excited about exploring what else is out there! If you have tried any scrubs that you love, please let me know because I want to try it out!

Monthly Favourites - January

2015 is in full swing and I am thrilled to say that it is already one thousand times better than 2014 was! January was a freaking huge month for me - at the end of December I got my Ps, I received my ATAR (98.5 out of 99.95), I got into my Speech Pathology course and I caught up with all the people I love over the month and for my 18th birthday party. All in all it was a pretty amazing month to kick off the year with!

But alas, now for the favourites!

Face: I don't know what it is (probably all the junk food I've been inhaling lately) but my skin is the worst it has ever been. Ever. I have been breaking out so much all over my whole face and even foundation hasn't helped much. Of course, my tendencies to pick spots until they become disgusting great scabs that can't even be covered by makeup doesn't help, but agh, it's so frustrating! Nevertheless, those spots that can be covered I've been using the Face of Australia stick concealer for because I think it does a magical job. Mine's a bit busted because of all the travelling it's been doing, but it does the job.

Nails: This was such an easy pick, and when I think about it if I had done a 2014 favourites post this polish would have won the title for the year: Essie's polish in Mamba. It is the most perfect nude pink that is so flattering and subtle yet classy. I love the formulation of this polish (it is the first and only one I've tried from Essie) and gosh, it is just wonderful!

Eyes: Like the nail polish, if I were to make a 2014 favourites the Max Factor Wild Mega Volume mascara would have taken the prize for my top mascara. I use this every.single.day. and it was no different in January. For someone who has never been interested in volumising mascara, this has made me change my mind...

Lips: When I realised that I'd not even mentioned this product on my blog I was astonished because this lipstick is perfection! I'm not even sure why I was compelled to pick up the Rimmel London Matte Finish Lipstick in 107 but it was the best decision ever. This is the most incredible dark wintery red/berry shade that I just adore - you can tell how much I love it because I have been wearing it all summer even though it matches none of my summery outfits! Don't quote me on this, but I think it might be Youtube star Zoella's trademark lippie and I can totally see why. Get it.

Other: For the other category I was going to choose a particular book but in the end I just decided to go with books in general. Since being on holidays I have rediscovered my passion for books. I honestly don't know how I survived 2014 not reading anything because books are what keep me alive and well. It has been such a luxury sitting outside in the hammock delving into good literature. 

I recently wrote a post on my most beautiful book covers if you are interested!

Well there they are, my favourites for January 2015. I hope the rest of the year continues to be as wonderful as this month has been!