A little haul - Australis, Face of Australia, Natio, Target

The makeup/beauty products

After seeing several recent haul and review posts, I went out to visit my old friend Priceline. We haven't caught up with one another for quite a while, so it was a long visit.

I had a little list of things that I wanted and purchased most of them. I also went to Target in search for some Essence products but I was so disappointed - the stand there was awful, barely anything on it and half the products were smashed and smushed. Very disappointing. Anyway, I will get onto the haul. There isn't too much but still worth posting about it anyway.


Face of Australia was have a buy two get one free deal. I bought the Illuminator for myself in Angel Flame after reading Gianna's review, bought a blush for my Mum who has been wanting it for a while, and got the lipstick Lychee Crush for free. I saw the review on Michaela's blog and wanted it immediately!

I spotted the Australis creme blush on sale for seven dollars and I decided to just go for it and chuck in the basket. I got it in the shade Dusky Rose. I then ambled over to Natio where I spotted this eyelash curler for seven dollars and bought that too. I was looking for the Australis Crystal colour top coat but unfortunately it had sold out. It was also going for ten dollars so I figured I could probably get it cheaper elsewhere another time. I will be staying on my wishlist though...

I forgot to picture this with the other makeup products but I bought a black nail polish because the other one I had was completely useless. Shocking. Anyway, fingers crossed this new one (which was only three dollars) is a little bit better. One coat is all it needs to be fully opaque, and I seriously mean fully opaque. It is super glossy, but I haven't had it on long enough to speak about the chipping factor.

 The Australis blush looks a little bit scary in the packaging but I'm hoping it will blend out nicely as a blush, and if not it will be a lovely lip colour. There were only two other shades which I did not like, this one was the nicest.

I have tried out the lipstick, and it is amazing. Every review I have read has praised it like no tomorrow, and I totally understand why. It's gorgeous. So soft and moisturising and creamy, and such an awesome colour.

The illuminator also looks quite scary, but it blends so wonderfully and looks gorgeous. I had planned on getting another colour because even on Gianna's post I thought it was too pink, but realised at Priceline that it was perfect.

I am really happy with the eyelash curler. I wasn't sure whether to go for cheap or expensive after you guys all commented. This was seven dollars and I hope it lasts.

 I also bought some Earrings from Target for three dollars on special down from nine. I wanted the pearl ones because they were nice and little, unlike the ones I already have. I expect I will get a lot of use out of the silver ones too but I'm not sure about the last ones...

I bought this hat for five dollars down from ten. I tried to get it on a nice angle when photographing it but it looks a bit funny. It's nice in real life....

Last but not least is this bag. I adore it, I think it is wonderful, and it only cost $15. What a bargain!

The gold ones down the bottom are shaped like hearts

L-R: Lychee Crush, Dusky Rose, Angel Flame

I am hoping to get some reviews done ASAP!

Pretty/Casual

 

Look what I discovered!

 

I had seen these kinds of posts everywhere and had absolutely no idea how on Earth people were doing them. I finally found out and I think I am in love. It is amazing and they are so much fun to do.

Please don't be too harsh, it is my first and I spent the whole time trying to work out how to use it all! I took no notice of brands or prices (hence why the jeans are $355!) but just found things that I liked!

It was so much fun!

Savvy Translucent loose powder

I bought this giant 18.52g container of loose powder when Savvy was selling everything off for three dollars. I didn't have any setting powder (other than this) and I had been finding that in the really hot weather my makeup hadn't been sticking around. I am so pleased with this product!

Even though it says it is translucent, it gives a tiny bit of colour. I am really pleased because I didn't want it to be a foundation but I wanted a tiny bit of coverage too and this is the perfect amount. I apply my liquid foundation as normal and then use this over the top - it makes it stick ALL day, rain or shine, indoors or outdoors, good day or bad. It is amazing.

You know how sometimes powders, well, make you look powdery? This is not one of them! It doesn't settle into any creases, doesn't stick to dry areas, doesn't clump into groups. my skin looks dewey and fresh as it did without the powder, all this does is adds a tiny bit of coverage and makes my makeup stick like glue (without the sticky feeling!)

There is one thing that I cannot stand...the packaging! I hate it so much it's unbelievable. I hate it more than mushrooms and seafood put together, and that is a heck of a lot of hate! You see, the holes are so giant that a massive amount of product comes out. The brush I use picks it all up, I try and apply it to my face and a massive powder cloud explodes in my face. I sneeze, it gets in my eyes, the air from my sneeze blows more power around the room. I yell, I threaten to throw it in the bin, it's a disaster (and a true story!)

So, the packaging was a problem. Until I figured it out. Rule number 1 - Never ever hold it upside down, or even on the side. Rule number 2 - lightly dab the brush in the product. Get as little of it as you can on the actual brush. Rule number 3 - Use the lid to swirl the brush around, ensuring that the powder is evenly distributed across the brush. Rule number 4 - Blow lightly on he bristles of the brush. Rule number 5 - apply to face.

Now I realise that may seem like a lot of rules to apply powder, but it's so worth it. I adore this stuff. It is amazing. For three dollars, it is even more amazing. I want to give it 10/10 but that would be lying, because the packaging is awful. That is why I can only give it 9/10. So sad, so sad...



Oh, I have a question - Maybelline Dream Matte powder. Yes or no? I have heard good reviews, but now that I have this I'm not sure what to do. Is it a "translucent" powder like this, or is it a powder foundation?

OOTD - Out to dinner

This is my first outfit of the day...well, it's actually an outfit of the night. We were going out to dinner last night, nowhere too posh. I pulled out the shirt and realised I hadn't worn it for ages so I decided that would be what I was going to wear.

I actually bought the shirt from an Op-shop for three dollars, and I really like it. According to the label it was from Valleygirl. I really love the black, woven detailing around the neck, it really adds so much character to it. It wouldn't be nearly as nice if it didn't have it. I love the way it sits, the shape is just lovely. The band at the bottom fits snug on you hips and the material above it doesn't cling. The only problem with that is that another shirt must be worn underneath or else it is a little too low cut. I usually wear a cream coloured tank top from Supre.

My jeans were also from an Op-shop, and according to the label they were from table eight. I bought them for ten dollars and they are so comfortable. I do have to cuff them because they are quite a bit too long, but I could get them fixed if I wasn't too lazy to get around to it.

The shoes are from Rubi shoes. At first I wasn't sure about the red, I had intended on wearing black flats, but I think the purple and the red went well together. As for my bracelet, it is just a simple one from Diva that came in a pack of five, nothing too exciting.

So yes, my first OOTD isn't all that exciting to be perfectly honest, but I think it looks alright.

My bag

What the shoes actually look like - the first photo is so washed out!

Red lips to match the shoes!

Formula 10.0.6 - Face the day, Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15

Okay, so you have probably noticed my lack of extensive product review posts this week. Yes, life is so busy and believe it or not (I'm sure you beauty bloggers will understand) it takes quite a long time to review a beauty product.

First of all you have to test it out, and I mean really test it out. You can't just wear it for one day and then comment on it, you've got to put it through all kinds of tests to ensure that you have a very good idea about the product. Then you have to write a thorough review, ensuring that it is all 100% true. Then you take the photos, edit them if need be and upload them. If you are anything like me, it's really difficult to find a place with adequate lighting (the only time I have to blog is at night and of course, no natural light is around at that time!) and uploading the photos takes 100 years. So, I know it isn't really a valid excuse, but things have been a little chaotic and unfortunately I haven't been able to post as many reviews as I was hoping for.
Right, I think that is enough blabbing, time for the review.

I have had this product for a while, and the reason I haven't reviewed it yet is because my opinions on it change weekly, even daily at a push! My opinion on it is determined by the weather, my skin and how lazy I am feeling. Yep, it's one of those products.

It was in winter and my skin was behaving pretty well. I didn't really want all that much coverage because I didn't feel as though I needed it, and I wanted to sleep in for a few extra minutes in the morning. Foundation takes a lot longer to apply than tinted moisturiser (well, it does for me anyway) so I figured a tinted moisturiser would be the best option, allowing me to sleep a little longer...

When I first bought it I absolutely hated it, and I know for sure that this was the case with a heck of a lot of other people. You see, when it comes out of the tube it's orange, bright orange. I was quite disappointed because I hadn't expected it to be like this. There were no testers at the shops and the tube itself had a foil seal over the opening so there was no way you could tell what colour it was going to be.  Twelve dollars down the drain!

Because it was winter and my skin was almost transparent, I decided to put it away until summer time. Of course, when summer finally rolled around I forgot about it until the very end when it was almost too late. Still, I gave it a good shot and came to what I hope is my final opinion regarding this product.

In order to use it I have to work hard. It requires a lot more effort than foundation in terms of applying it. Because it is so orange, even when I have tanned skin it still isn't the correct colour. I have to use it so sparingly an blend blend blend! Once I feel as though I have blended enough, I blend some more, just to be on the safe side. One positive thing that I can say about it, is it does give a nice, healthy glow. Because the colour isn't perfect, I looked more tanned, but not in an awful "Eww, buy the right foundation you crazy lady!" kind of way. More of an "Ooohhh, have you been on holidays in Hawaii?!" kind of tan. It just requires so much effort to get there!

It has an SPF 15, Aloe and Vitamin A. It is supposed to be good for the skin, in that it doesn't clog pores. I think at first it feels a little heavy and greasy, but after a little bit it feels fine. Another thing I like about this is that it really lasts throughout the day. It was about 38 degrees today, so I was sweating a heck of a lot, but it still stayed on so well, without primer.

The smell is a funny one, some people don't mind it and others hate it. I think it smells like sunscreen that has been covered with a sweet perfume. I personally can tolerate it, and I don't feel as though the smell stays with you once it is on your face. It's supposed to be a moisturiser, but I think you need to apply your usual moisturiser too. It's not drying, but it's not overly great moisture-wise either.

This is one of those products that you should not buy unless you have found a tester and have worn it for a day prior to buying. I know people that really like it, and people who think it is possibly the worst beauty product in the entire world.

Me? I think I shall give it a 6 out of 10. I'll use it up but I won't be buying any more. I will however, continue to love the names they give their products - check them out!

L-R - Blob, unblended, tiny bit blended, completely blended (completely
blended is on the far right (you can't see it))

Sorry, I had no idea how long this was until I was just about to post it!

To curl or not to curl

Lately I have had my heart set on the idea of getting an eyelash curler. I'm not at all sure how this idea managed to wriggle its way into my head, but I can tell you that it's not getting out. The things that I want to know is whether an eyelash curler is worth it? My lashes are naturally reasonably long, and the curl they have is alright, but would an eyelash curler be a sensible thing to purchase?

If so, is it worth getting a cheap one or should I spend a bit more cash on it? I have seen them ranging for dirt cheap to really, really expensive and I just have no idea what they are worth.

Another thing, is using an eyelash curler damaging to your lashes? I know people use them all the time, but people use straighteners too and we all know what that does to your hair!

So, if you have any knowledge regarding eyelash curlers I would love to hear your thoughts!

The big one zero zero

Wow. 100 followers has finally occurred. I have 100 followers. Oh my goodness.

So yes, when signing in today I was greeted with the little "100" on my dashboard. Of course, I have been logging in daily (well almost) for a while and had seen the numbers creep up, but honestly, it doesn't feel quite real.

For those of you who have been following for a little while, you are probably aware that I, uh, know very little about blogging. I just crashed into the beauty world and flopped into the blogging world, which I suppose you can imagine isn't the greatest of combinations. From there I tripped and stumbled my way through, and here I am now with 100 followers. It can't be true!

I just want to say a massive thankyou to everyone, especially those who have commented and assisted me from the beginning! I love reading your blogs and can't thank you enough for your input on the blog.

And now it is time for a very happy blogger to get off the Internet and do her list of jobs that have been piling up for quite a while!

Maybelline Bronzer - Forever Warm

 I got this bronzer quite a while ago but never really got into it because I had my Savvy by DB Jumbo one! I decided to try and use it a little more the other day, and figured I may aswell complete a review on it. I am aware that they aren't being sold anymore, however I have seen them at Gloss stores, and of course, Cheap as Chips!

Unlike my Savvy bronzer, this isn't matte. It is quite obviously a shimmery bronzer when swatched on the hand and applied to the face, but in the pan it looks matte to me. It has a sun pattern in it and comes with a tiny brush. Seriously, I don't understand why they put a brush in when you clearly cannot use it!

The first thing that I noticed was that it wasn't particularly pigmented. I thought the Savvy one wasn't pigmented, but in comparison to this one, it is amazing! Whilst this is kind of frustrating, when I really think about it, it is probably a good thing. Because this bronzer isn't matte, I don't use it for contouring but more for giving me a nice glow. If it was too pigmented it could easily look muddy and horrible.

It can appear to be a little orange on the my skin. This is definitely one that I reserve for summer. I don't wear much bronzer in winter anyway, but I can guarantee if I was to wear some, this wouldn't be it. A summer bronzer only!

The packaging is fine...not too fiddly to open, not too flimsy. It seems to tick all the boxes in that respect...

One thing I will mention is that it feels quite silky. That might sound a little funny, but when applying it on the skin it feels less like powder and more like a silk. It claims not to clog pores, and it is one of those products that actually feels like it won't clog them. It's very lightweight and feels good on.

The lasting power of this bronzer is what really lets it down. It only lasted a couple hours max on my skin, whereas my Savvy one was much, much better.

I do like this bronzer, but because my Savvy one is just so much better it makes this one look dreadful in comparison. I give this bronzer 6 out of 10.

Left - The Savvy Bronzer brush
Right - The brush you get given

Ulta Nail Polish collection



Base - Rubi Nail polish in
Ace of spades
Sparkles - One coat of Confetti

I seriously have Ulta Nail polishes coming out of my ears! I have absolutely no idea how I managed to aquire so many, but I thought I might do a little collection post, just for fun.

I've done several reviews on my Ulta Polishes before, so if you are interested in them have a look here, here and here. These polishes are the cheapest of cheap, they are practically free. As you would imagine, no one really takes much notice of them because they just firgure something of that price would be the most awful quality imagineable. That definitely stopped me from purchasing them for a long time, until finally one day I did.

Oh how I managed without them I just don't know! These are such good nail polishes and the colour range is sooo big. Sure, they do chip in the end and some of them need a couple of coats for full coverage, but these things just don't matter when you stop to remember the amazing price you pay.

Base - Lily White
Sparkles - Confetti (one coat)

The two photos with the sparkles showcase the newest of my Ulta polishes - Confetti. (Ignore the disgusting paint job I did, I didn't actually wear this polish I just did it so I could take a photo and then take it off straight afterwards!) It is a clear based polish with green, blue and purple sparkles. I personally am not all that keen on how it looks in the bottle, but on black it looks incredible, and on white it's not too bad either. As you bloggers would know, sparkly polishes often don't show their true beauty on camera, and this was no exception. For someone who really isn't into sparkly nail polishes, this is really, really nice.

Just recently I was given five polishes, (including confetti). I must admit, most of them I wouldn't usually go for but I was pleasantly surprised with how I warmed to them.

The photo to the left shows confetti on it's own, Mojito (green), Blue Marlin, Tangelo and Orchid. Each of them have two coats except for Orchid which only has one.  As you can see, Tangelo is the brightest and is probably the one that I would go for the most out of all of them. Orchid looks so lovely in this picture, but it is actually this metallic polish with a gold kind of sheen to it. Really not my kind of polish! Ihave never really gotten into blue or green nail polishes so these were never going to take my fancy, but the blue one I think looks quite nice. Who knows, I might need the green one day...

So, I have 11 Ulta polishes in total...and that's only the beginning of my nail polish collection that isn't Ulta! My favourite Ulta polish is probably Pink Colada, then Watermelon, then Plum Violet.

If you are interested in seeing any of these up close on my fingernails or a review on a particular one (the formula does differ from polish to polish) then just comment because that is very easily accomplished. I just felt as though I needed to do a collection posts, and I enjoy seeing a whole heap of polishes at a time rather than just one.

Do you guys own any polishes from this brand? Have you had a good experience with them?