Collective haul - Face of Australia, Essie, OPI and more

Over the last couple of month I've managed to acquire some wonderful stuff for some ridiculously good prices so I thought I'd share my bargains with you all...

Kmart has actually been my best friend in the beauty department lately. I purchased the Nivea Lip
Butter in Caramel Cream (and oh my gosh it smells divine!) for only two dollars. They're obviously no longer stocking Face of Australia which is a major disappointment however it did mean I was able to pick up three of their lipsticks, each for four dollars. I grabbed some seriously beautiful shades, my favourite being Forbidden Fruit and the other two including Power Surge and Pink Champagne.

When Priceline had their 40% off sale I actually didn't go too crazy but I did get two Australis products - an Australis concealer which I am so freaking disappointed with, and the brow tint which thankfully makes up for the crappy concealer. If any of you have actually tried the concealer let me know because it's probably one of the worst I've ever come across...

Essie has captured my heart with its amazing colour range and incredible formula so I was tempted with this beauty, Limo-scene. I adore the colour (which is why it made it into my March favourites) but sadly, as is often the case with white polishes, the formula isn't great.

Now that Priceline is stocking OPI polishes I've found myself souring the bins for good bargains. A lot of the shades they have a pretty unappealing but the shade Nomad's dream caught my eye. I don't usually go for the frosty kinds of polishes but this one is damn gorgeous. I also grabbed some hairspray, and the reason it is so exciting is because I've never owned hairspray in my whole life...I know right!

My favourite concealer is the Face of Australia stick concealer in natural so I had to repurchase it recently when I ran out, and while I was there I grabbed their illuminating stick in When in Rome which I highly recommend you look into because it's super pretty.

There is a Chemist's Warehouse near me and they always have really good deals, so I couldn't resist when I saw the highly raved about Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation in my shade for only $9. I've been really impressed with it so far.

Of course, Priceline is always calling my name with good sales and in one of the million occasions that I set foot in the store, I managed to come out with a Models Prefer Lip Crayon in the shade Raspberry Ripple and an Essence lipstick in the shade Love Me. I'd never taken any notice of the Models Prefer lip crayons but for $2 it was a worthwhile purchase.

Last but not least is a totally unexpected purchase, a Sportsgirl lipstick. I have never ever owned any Sportsgirl makeup but have seen fairly positive reviews about their stuff. I was in Sportsgirl and I think something must have been mislabelled because I purchased their lipstick in the shade Doll Face for $0.98 and I really like the bold shade!

L-R: Raspberry Ripple, Forbidden Fruit, Power Surge, Pink Champagne, Doll Face, Love me

 So there you have it, my recent additions to my beauty stash. Let me know if there are any products in particular that you would like to see a review on. I've been really slack with my posting but I promise I'll try my best to write about anything you're particularly interested in!

L-R: Raspberry Ripple, Forbidden Fruit, Power Surge, Pink Champagne, Doll Face, Love me

Monthly Favourites - March

Hello dear friends, it has been far too long. Yep, I disappeared for ages but I'm kind of back, at least I'm here right now with a post full of lovely things. It seems that since my last post I started a new job, found myself living the Uni life and also got myself a boyfriend. It's been absolutely wonderful but ridiculously busy at the same time. I've missed blogging but sadly it has to be the first thing that's put on hold. Nevertheless, I'm here with a bunch of new, really cool stuff.

Face: I don't know about you but I am a sucker for glowy face products, making highlighters and illuminators really difficult for me to resist. Face of Australia is probably my favourite 'drugstore' makeup brand so when they came out with some cream illuminators I knew I was going to grab one. The shade I snapped up is 'When in Rome,' a stunning champagne that is neither too brown nor too pink. It suits my skin tone magically and it just livens up my face. I love this stuff!

Eyes: I've never really been a primer girl but lately I've had no choice because my eyeshadow has been creasing like crazy. I don't even really recall how I acquired this product (it was one of those that seemed to just magically appear in my drawer one day) but gosh it's good. Even though it is a tiny little tube it is going to last me forever because you need only the smallest little bit of product. 

Lips: This was a real bargain lipstick because I grabbed it for $4 at Kmart (I think they are no longer stocking Face of Australia because the whole brand was reduced so much). Anyhow, this is the most perfect red in the world. Yes, I know I know, I'm changing my mind about the perfect red every week but this is a stunning cool toned red that I've been rocking non stop since I got it.

Nails: This is kind of a funny products to have in a favourites, but hear me out. I actually don't like this polish much at all. The formulation is crappy, it requires at least 5 coats to get even close to being opaque and it's expensive! But, the reason I included it is because I love the shade and I've been wearing it all month, despite its many flaws. Basically, don't buy this Essie polish because it is a waste of your money, but you can admire the pretty colour because it is lovely!

Other: I was super lucky to be sent a body scrub from aussie brand Sugar queen body scrubs. I'm in love! I got sent the flavour Lemon Cheesecake which is just incredible (and a bit dangerous really because I just want to eat it). They have a whole bunch of other wonderful scents like Warm Sugar Cookie and Pina Colada which I highly recommend you checking out because they are amazing. Also, look at the beautiful packaging! I just love love love it! Check out the website here.

So these have been the lovely things in my life lately. Sorry again for going AWOL, but sadly I think it might start happening more and more often. It's a real shame because I love blogging but unfortunately I just have so much else on. Let me know if you have any tips for balancing it all!

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!

Monthly Favourites - June

I'm really late with this Monthly Favourites but I suppose it is better late than never!  I have quite a strange collection of favourites this month but hopefully you find them interesting.

I think I'll begin with the face product, a new collection to my skincare stash. I never ever thought that I would run out of moisturiser because being a beauty blogger it seemed to be coming out of my ears, but lo and behold, it happened. I had no idea what I wanted to try so I ended up going with what was on special, which happened to be Garnier's Moisture Match Illuminating light lotion. I quite liked the sound of a moisturiser that would make me look more awake however I was a little worried it would be packed with shimmer. Fortunately that is not the case and this has easily been my face favourite for the month of June.

Next is lips, another basic product. I have had so much trouble with dry lips of late and the only thing that has been helping is my Blistex lip conditioner. I've spoken a little bit about my strange relationship with this product before, but basically it is very much a love-hate kind of thing!

Then we have the eye category and this was so easy to choose! After having read so much about the Maybelline Colour Tattoos, I really wanted to try them out but was too stingy to pay full price. When Chemist Warehouse had a half price sale I grabbed two shades and Barely Branded has taken over as my favourite eye product for the month. It is a beautiful shimmery champagne shade and works perfectly as a bright base. I love it and will be doing a review soon!

Then comes the nail favourite which has undoubtedly been my first Essie polish in the shade Mamba. It's just a gorgeous flattering nude shade that I haven't stopped wearing since I bought it!

Last but definitely not least is the other category which might seem to be a little strange this month. For as long as I can remember I have hated poetry with a passion and then something really strange happened this year. Some of you may not know that I struggle with depression, and it's been really, really awful this year. Anyhow, I have found literature to be the most therapeutic thing to help, in particular poetry. It's so ironic that I have gone from hating it to loving it, but I guess that just shows how people change! My favourite poet of late has been Seamus Heaney, a poet we've been studying at school who I think is just wonderful!

Well, there are my favourites for June! It feels so good to be back blogging again after a long break. Thanks for sticking around!

Essie Nail Polish in Mamba

This blog has risen from the dead and I am back once again after about two months off! It feels a little strange to be honest, and although this probably doesn't make much sense, I'm actually a little nervous! I don't think I'll be posting terribly often because year 12 is taking over my life, but I hope I can post more often than once every two months!

Anyhow, the interesting stuff - Essie's nail polish in Mamba.

This is the first Essie nail polish I ever got my hands on after having spent years drooling at everyone else's Essie blog posts. I knew I needed to try the highly acclaimed brand out, I just couldn't really justify spending twenty dollars on a single nail polish when I had perfectly good brands I could get for less than five. Nevertheless, when they arrived at Priceline for $18 and I had a $5 voucher I snapped it up for $13 and crossed my fingers that it would be a worthwhile purchase. I will add that I was a little skeptical that they were legitimate Essie polishes after Target's MAC debacle but what can you do...

Well, this was very much a worthwhile purchase! This polish is just gorgeous! It is nude perfection in a polish! I usually have a lot of difficulties trying to find a nude polish that is flattering and doesn't wash everything out and this does the perfect job. It also touch dries at the speed of light which is something very important to me because I am so very impatient and also matches almost every outfit.

My only issue is that it chipped after three days even when I was wearing a top coat. Admittedly my nails aren't in perfect condition so that might have something to do with it, but I was a little disappointed especially because they are one of the more expensive polish brands on the market.

Still, I love this polish a heck of a lot and would recommend anyone like me who was a little hesitant to just take the plunge.

Monthly Favourites - April

April is over and this year is totally flying by! I hope you all had a lovely Easter, I myself enjoyed simply lazing about reading and writing and lying in the sun! Almost all of my favourites for this month are new additions to my collection and I am so thrilled that I have some new things to play with! If there isn't a review on my blog already there will definitely be one coming up soon!

Lips: This was the most unexpected favourite of all, simply because I didn't even know these existed until I was in Priceline and saw the Covergirl Smoochies Lip Balm in the shade 'Luv u' for only $3. I had no idea what colour to pick up so I went for a nice Berry looking shade and I have worn it every single day since purchasing it because it is just so natural and flattering. I am a huge fan!

Face: I rediscovered an old favourite of mine, the Maybelline Superstay foundation. Somehow I have gained a little bit of a tan so it matches my skin almost perfectly, and as a result I've been using this more often. It is a medium to full coverage foundation so I don't wear it everyday, but I just love the gorgeous finish it gives.

Eyes: Without a doubt the eye product I have been reaching for most this month is the Loreal Colour Infalliable Shadow in Tender Caramel. I managed to grab this little bargain for $2.10 at Target and it was the best buy because it is such a beautiful brown shade. I cannot recommend this enough!

Nails: I have two nail favourites this month, the first being an Essie mini polish in Meet me at sunset. I have adored this bright orange shade and I am so lucky to have won it in Erin's giveaway! The other polish I have enjoyed wearing is the Essence topper in Black Dress and White tie. I don't always give into special effect polishes but this was irresistible (and for obvious reason too!).

Other: Lastly is the other category, and this month I have decided to include not a product but a hobby I have really enjoyed. I've been struggling a bit lately and have found writing (whether it be poetry, blog posts or journalling) to be so very helpful and enjoyable. I would recommend it to anyone because it really helps sort your thoughts out!


I hope you've all had a lovely April!

Tis' (not) the season...

I love the thought of wearing makeup and nail polish to suit the season. Autumn makes me think of oxblood red nail polish,chocolate brown eye shadows and deep berry lipstick yet lately I've been reaching for the most seasonally inappropriate polishes in my collection. I don;t know what it is but I've been craving bright pinks, sand browns and oranges, shades I would associate more with Spring than Autumn. I blame all the American youtubers I watch!

I decided to make a little post about it anyway because who said you have to stick to the rules?

First up is the Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Rosy Outlook. This is a spring polish if I ever saw one, the most beautiful bright warm pink that looks simply gorgeous on the nails. I love the formula of this polish as it is quite chip resistant, as well as the wonderful flattened brush that makes it so easy to apply.

We then have a Face of Australia polish (let's face it, I can't get enough of FOA), in 'Would you like some orange sherbet?' Once again there is no denying this orange pastel is a spring colour through and through, but I've been wearing it a lot in these autumn days. 

I then have an Essence polish that is the newest addition to my collection and I am completely addicted. The Nail art topper in 'Black Dress and white tie' is undeniably fascinating to look at and perhaps the coolest glitter/special effect polish I own. 

Next is my very first Essie polish in a beautiful, ever so slightly shimmery skin tone beige shade called Mambo. This is the most flattering neutral I have ever stumbled across and would be perfect for office wear. For my first Essie polish I am thrilled!

I then have Rimmel Space Dust polish, one of the recent 'textured' polishes that have come out. This is pure silvery pink glitter and honestly, who could resist that?

Last but not least is a mini Essie polish in 'Meet me at sunset' a striking orange that demands your attention. When I wear this I cannot help but stare admiringly at my beautiful, bright nails.

So there you have it, the most inappropriate nail picks for autumn that I have been enjoying immensely over the past couple of weeks!

Essence Nail Art Special Effect Topper in Black Dress and White Tie

The speckled egg nail polish trend is one that I've had my eye on since the gorgeous Illamasqua polishes burst onto the scene. I didn't really feel like spending that much on a polish, especially because I was pretty sure that there would be millions of copies made by more affordable brands in no time at all, so I waited it out.

Of course, as is always the case with me and trends, because of my stingy nature I end up jumping on the bandwagon waaaayyy after it has been and gone. It doesn't really bother me all that much, in fact I was thrilled when I saw that Essence had come out with this alternative for about $3!

I will admit, this isn't exactly a speckled egg kind of polish but it's close enough to satisfy my cravings. In fact, I think it would be better described as a hundreds and thousands kind of polish but nevertheless, whatever you wish to call it...it looks pretty cool.

It's a gorgeous black and white spotty polish with fine silver glitter throughout it. I personally would prefer it without the glitter however it does suit the polish and look quite nice on. I also love that it is actually quite fast drying.

I only applied one coat for the photos but I find two or three coats to be even more effective and eye catching. Speaking of photos, don't look too closely! I must apologise because I took the photos four days after having applied the polish (base and top coat) and therefore there was significant chipping. At least you get the idea of what it looks like, even if it isn't perfect...

I did find that there was a particular technique you could use when applying the polish for better results. I found that by 'pressing' the polish onto the nail I was able to control the amount of glitter and its placement a lot more than the traditional way of painting it on with long strokes. I used the traditional method to achieve the look with the tan coloured base, and the 'pressing' method for the pink base...you can see the significant difference it made.

In regards to the most important thing about a glitter polish, as always it is absolutely horrendous to remove. I had to scrape the glitter off my nails physically as polish remover just wasn't able to do the job.

Despite this, I am so very fond of this polish and think it gives the coolest effect in a really simple and easy way. 

Giveaway Winnings from The Beauty Box

I was so very lucky to win Erin's giveaway from over at The Beauty Box. Her blog is a new discovery of mine and she is such a brilliant blogger - please go and have a look at her blog!

Anyhow, I received the most incredible prize ever and Erin was so kind to throw in a few unexpected extras into the mix too! I am in love with everything I received!

First up is the Versace Bright Crystal perfume which I was so excited about! I absolutely love perfumes but don't have too many because they're so pricey, so this was such an exciting thing to win!

I was also terribly excited to see a gorgeous selection of nail polishes. Erin has wonderful taste in nail polishes, all of which I am so darn excited about using! I received polishes from the brands Essie, Bourjois, Sally Hansen and Rimmel as well as some nail stickers from the brand Kiss. My nails are going to be looking beautiful these holidays!

Last but definitely not least is the gorgeous assortment of lip products. Long time readers of mine would know that lip products are my weakness and I squealed when I saw the selection of Revlon products since Revlon makes amazing lip related cosmetics! I am so excited to use everything!

Thank you Erin for the amazing giveaway and your wonderful blog and I look forward to trying out all these amazing goodies! If you would like to see a review on a particular product let me know in the comments!

Mini Haul: Jewellery, Op Shop Bargains and Nail Polish

Here's a little haul for the month of February.

Gold leafy necklace - $15 from Colette
9 earring pack - $15 down to $7.50 but purchased as part of 3 for $10 deal from Equip
Lacey necklace - $15 down to $5 but part of 3 for $10 deal from Equip
Lacey bracelet - $17 down to $8.50 but part of 3 for $10 deal from Equip
Essie polish - $13 but purchase for $8 with a voucher
Heart rings - $3 down from $9.95
Op shop Target flats (Brand New) - $3
Op Wildfire Shop heels - $5
Op Shop Minkpink dress - $9
Op Shop Grey Supre Cardigan - $4