Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. Perhaps the most adorable looking product ever created. In this lovely little tin is a waxy balm or 'cuticle cream' that smells like Lemon Sherbet - a scent I never really thought much of until I discovered this product.

I was so lucky to receive this product in a giveaway prize from Dawn over at See It, Love It, Swatch it. This is the first Burt's Bees product that I have ever tried and I am so very impressed.

I don't really look after my nails. I don't damage them or anything, I just make no effort to care for them especially. Since receiving this product I have made an effort daily to apply this and it really has made such a difference to the state of my nails, or at least cuticles. Though it is described as a cuticle cream, it certainly is more of a balm or a wax as it is quite hard, not at all cream-like.

I have found that where my nails used to be slightly weak and my cuticles a little dry, they are now stronger and more nourished. In saying that, my nails were never really in a dire kind of state, so the change hasn't been all that drastic.

I apply this before bed as it does leave a bit of a greasy residue before soaking in. I love the scent it gives, a fizzy, citrus, lemon smell that is quite refreshing. I probably wouldn't use it throughout the day, simply because it does transfer everywhere before soaking in.

The only problem that I have with this product is what I love about it too - that it comes in a little tin. I love the size and convenience of the tin, I just find that the product inside gets so grotty. That said, I don't believe there actually is an alternate way to package this, I just feel that I should mention its tendency to get all gross and grotty.


I'm not 100% sure how much it retails for, though I think it is around $15. I don't know how that compares with other, similar products, but I probably wouldn't bother purchasing this myself. I do really, really like it but I simply don't feel that I need it. I will certainly be using it regularly though!

I am very impressed with my first product from Burt's Bees and I shall keep an eye out for other products to pick up in the future.

I give this product 8/10.

Updated Jewellery Storage

I recently updated my Jewellery storage and thought I might show you!

I saw this photo tree at an Op-shop for $1 so I picked it up to make it into a Jewellery tree.

All I did was take the photos off and use it to hang my bracelets on. I love how it looks, and though it isn't as convenient as my previous storage, it is much prettier!

I still have my necklaces hanging on the cork board, though I did put some fabric underneath to make it look nicer.

I moved my rings into a lovely little star shaped bowl. 

I am really happy with my new jewellery storage...now I just have to wear some of the pieces!

Maybelline Baby Lips - Pink Lolita

I have another addition to my Maybelline Baby lips collection, though this time I really do feel that I have a legitimate excuse - it is tinted!

Yes, tinted baby lips have finally made it to Australian shores, and about time too! Whilst I adore my other Baby lips balms, since the beginning I have been dying to get my mitts on the American versions without success, but it doesn't really matter because we now have Australian versions.

Even though I felt terribly guilty adding yet another baby lips to my already excessive collection, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to test out a tinted Baby lips.

The perfect warm, juicy, mid-toned pink shade, Pink Lolita has already made its way into my top lip balms. Though I have noticed it being slightly drier than the other balms in the range, the gorgeous tint that it gives makes up for it.

I love the packaging colours of this particular balm. The two shades of pink match the name and shade and just look really great. As always, the large text covering the majority of the balm is eye catching. Like all the others in the range, the size and convenient twis up nature of the products is just wonderful. I have had problems with it twisting up when I am carrying it around in my pocket, thus squashing all the product up so I am extra careful to wind it further down now.

The formula is pretty moisturising, though like I said it is slightly drier than the others in the range. I find that the tint is just enough to be noticeable but not too over the top...in fact I could probably get away with wearing it at school (which has a no-makeup policy). The tint lasts me a couple of hours at least, though with lots of eating and drinking does wear off more quickly.

It has no distinct taste but smells quite sugary and fruity. It has a different taste to all the other flavours I own.

I already have intentions of purchasing another tinted balm in the range, though I haven't quite yet decided which one. I'm thinking that Cherry Kiss (a peachier toned balm) might be the way to go but who knows, I'll probably end up getting them all. For less than four dollars I guess I can do that if I really want to!

My love for the Maybelline Baby lips balms carries on and I cannot tell you how pleased I am that Australia has finally caught up with America in terms of getting tinted balms! I will be using this on a regular basis!

Inglot Freedom Eyeshadow Palette - 07 and 406

Before we get into this post, let's just take a moment to remember this special occasion - I am touching Inglot eyeshadows, and they are mine!

Okay, can you tell that I'm just a tiny little bit excited? After a spontaneous trip into the city after my friend shouted praises regarding the Inglot eyeshadows, I returned $31 short but with the most gorgeous looking eyeshadow palette you shall ever see and my poor friend had a phone filled with excited text messages:  "You have just received a text from the proud owner of two Inglot eyeshadows." Me, lame? No!

Inglot is one of those brands, like Mac, that I had always dreamed of but never actually considered purchasing anything from because they are just so expensive here in Australia. As I decided to make it a birthday present to myself I figured I could splash out and have a bit of a treat. I was actually pleasantly surprised at how much it cost in the end, it was cheaper than I had initially thought.

First up is the gorgeous packaging. I don't think I've ever seen an eyeshadow palette so beautiful, I think it is better than NARS, MAC, Chanel...yes, I really believe Inglot takes the cake in this department! The magnetic translucent cover has the brand name imprinted in black type. It is just so darn lovely!

As the eyeshadow system is a 'freedom system,' you get to choose everything from the shades you wish to include as well as how many shades you wish your palette to hold. You can get a 2, 3, 4, 5, 10, 20 and 40 spot eyeshadow palette, each costing different amounts. I paid 11 dollars for a 3 spot eyeshadow palette, and ten dollars per shadow. Obviously I am yet to completely fill my palette, but for now this will do me just fine.

The shades I chose, 07 and 406 are just stunning. Naturally I was drawn to these both because they are golden neutral shades, but I figured that I may as well spend a bit more money on something that I know for sure that I will use regularly

The pigmentation of these shadows is very impressive. I have no problem building up a good level of colour when applying these. They blend seamlessly and their pearly/shimmery finish is just stunning. I can't really explain how perfect these shades are - they are MY shades, they have my name all over them!

Their lasting power is excellent, although without a primer I do experience just the slightest creasing by the end of a long day. This really doesn't concern me all that much.

The only bad thing I can say is that the woman serving me was adamant that I couldn't purchase a three spot palette and only fill two of the pans, she said I had to have three shadows or I had to purchase a spot palette. I'm sorry lady but do you want my money or not? On a side note, totally irrelevant, her makeup was actually horrific. It seemed as though she blindly picked out about twelve different shades, none of them matching whatsoever, and then proceeded to slap them carelessly on the strangest places all over her face (bright red glitter above her eyebrows?! I'm not sure about you, but I think that is terrible for promoting Inglot because she just looked so terrible, I was almost put off from purchasing their makeup!

Other than that, these Inglot shades are just incredible, and if you are like me and felt that they were always too expensive to justify purchasing, I would recommend you rethinking it because they are so worth it!

I give these beautiful shadows 10/10, and I shall certainly be going back soon to fill my palette completely (which I am sure the sales assistant will be pleased with!)

Essence Sun Club Eyeshadow - Bondi beach collection long beach

Essence is a brand that regular readers of my blog will know that I like. Since their arrival early last year (I think that is when they hit Australian shores) they have gradually begun taking over my makeup collection in all categories - lips, cheeks, eyes, nails and face products. Though there have been a couple of disappointments, the incredible products I have been able to pick up for a couple of dollars certainly outweigh them. Their limited edition collections are also incredible.

I was lucky enough to receive this eyeshadow palette as part of a giveaway prize from Sophie's giveaway over at Born to Buy and it is one of the Essence products that has not at all been a disappointment.

Top row

I am a lover of all neutrals, but as I'm sure many of you will know, there are only so many browns, champagnes and taupes that you can have before they all start looking very much the same. Despite this, it doesn't stop me from picking up yet another neutral quad, but the wonderful thing about this palette was that though it was neutral it contained several shadows in shades that are slightly different from ones that I already own. Brilliant!

There are eight shades, and if I do say so myself I think they are a bit of an odd combination. I don't know what it is but I feel that they are just a strange selection of colours and seem to be missing some of the staples that neutral palettes usually have, though I suppose in this case it is a good thing because all of the shades are different from what I already own.

Top Row

The first is a lovely shimmery, golden champagne type colour. It would be absolutely perfect except that it contains huge chunks of glitter than go everywhere and look absolutely ridiculous on my eyes. Had there been no giant chunks of glitter I would have used this shade all the time.

The second shade across the top row is a pinky based champagne and applies smoothly without the unsightly glitter. This is a true dusty pink and therefore, in my opinion, needs to be applied with care, but it is a lovely shade all the same

Third across the top is a very dark brown (almost black) shade that is highly pigmented and also must be applied with care, though for different reasons. You only need the tiniest bit to get excellent colour payoff with this shade.

Last on the top row is a shimmery middle-brown that is a nice crease colour for a darker, smokey look. 

Bottom Row

Moving onto the second row we begin with a highly unusual peachy orange. Having never come across such a shade this one fascinates me the most, though I struggle to wear it without feeling like a bit of a clown. I do love this colour but fear that it is a little unflattering. It applies so gorgeously and smooth though, it is very silky.

Next is a bright golden, orange toned shade. I love the warm feel this has and use this on a regular basis.

Moving on is another one of my favourites from this palette, a light brown taupe kind of colour. It isn't too cool which I like, and it works well with the majority of shades in this palette.

The last shade has an identical texture to the first - highly chalky with great big chunks of unflattering glitter. Such a shame.

All of the shades have an impressively high level of pigmentation and have a lovely, silky finish - excluding the first and last of the shades.

I wore these without primer for ten hours with minimal creasing, but any longer than that quickly turned into extreme creasing that looked pretty horrific. I do imagine the wear time would be extended significantly with primer, but I am satisfied with ten or so hours of wear with slight creasing.

I like the packaging because it is simple and sturdy. Though I don't use the brush/sponge applicator provided, I like that they have included both a brush and a sponge as opposed to two sponges. I think that for those who are perhaps beginners or don't mind using little brushes, this is an excellent way to go.

I'm not sure of the exact price for this product, but I can guarantee it wouldn't be more than about seven dollars. For that price I would definitely purchase this.

I do really like this palette, I think because of the shade selection and the silky nature of the shadows (silkier than the other Essence shadows I have reviewed here and here).

I give this palette 8/10.

Lush Shower Gel - Snow Fairy

Lush's Shower Gel in Snow Fairy is undoubtedly the Lush product that I have wanted the most for the longest time. It's limited edition type nature (only being sold around Christmas), instead of putting me off, simply made me want it more.

I was lucky to get this little (it really is tiny) 100g beauty for Christmas and I've been using it non-stop since, it replacing my I love...Strawberries and Milkshake body wash which I liked so very much.

If you've ever tried the Lush Bubblegum lip scrub then you can get an idea of what to expect in terms of fragrance. Snow fairy smells identical to the Bubblegum scrub, though I wouldn't imagine it tastes quite as nice, being a shower gel and all.

The fragrance is quite overpowering when you use it in the shower and due to its tooth-ache inducing sweet, sugary nature I expect there would be a lot of people who find it just too much to handle. I myself do really like it, but for someone who adores strong sugary smells, I still find it even a bit too much for me!

Once having moved out of the shower the scent becomes very faint although is still present on the skin. I much prefer it in this state if I'm really honest.

I was surprised to find that it contains shimmery blue sparkles as I'd not been aware of this prior to using the product. Unfortunately they aren't dispersed evenly throughout, rather clumped together at the bottom of the bottle. It still adds a nice touch to the product though.

As for the actual shower gel, it lathers up nicely and works well. There isn't much more to say about it except that it works. I have heard of people using it for their hair but I'm not sure I like the idea of using a bright pink, blue glittery product through my hair...

Lush recently revamped all their packaging, and I have to say I'm not really a fan. It doesn't look as classy as it once did, it looks cheaper and the feel isn't like it once was. I don't really like the packaging for this product, I think it looks a bit like a homemade label and it looks a lot more childish.

I can't recall how much this actually was but I imagine it would be on par with Lush's other shower gels. I do like this little product, though I wouldn't suggest you buy it until you've had a really good sniff of it in the shops because it is so very strong!

I give this 7/10.

Can you see the glitter?

It's my birthday - gifts and reflection

Last Sunday, the third of February was my 16th birthday. Yes, you read that correctly.

I imagine some of you might find this, uh, surprising. I've not given an indication of my age anywhere on this blog and there were a couple of reasons for doing so.

When I first started up this blog I had no idea what the beauty blogging community would be like, or even that there was such thing as a community here online. I was 99% sure that my blog would never get past about 50 or so followers, and I was absolutely certain that I was going to get a whole load of negativity and criticism (so were my hesitant parents who were really not sure about the whole prospect of starting a blog).

Thankfully, neither of those things have happened and I have become completely addicted to blogging in every way. I've also had some PR interest which still blows my mind (a huge company wanting to send a teenage girl free things just because she has a little space on the web?!) and that too has made me hesitant to reveal my age, because I fear that as soon as they know they won't take me seriously or consider me capable of writing a decent post. Well I think I have proven myself worthy - I am the sole person who runs this blog, creates all the posts, takes all the pictures and comments on everyone else's blogs. I am the one who responds to your emails, the one who organises all the details about shipping, drafts, posting dates and who outlines all the policies I have on my blog. I am the one who runs this, and though I may be little I think I do an alright job.

I hope to all of you lovely followers that you understand that I was never trying to deceive you, trick you or 'betray' you in any way. I'm not sure how old you thought I was (I would be interested in finding out if you could let me know!) but I am 16 and I started way back when I was only 14 (hence the dodgy nature of my earlier posts!).

If you have a problem with this, I would appreciate if you stopped reading my posts as opposed to left a barrage of hate mail (not that I actually think any of you would do that). If you are PR and this post has made you change your mind about wanting to work with me and my blog, please remember that I have written countless posts on products sent from Face of Australia, Wotnot, Jamberry Nails, Catalina Geo, Alina, Santorini Sun and Femme Fatale and that you knowing my age doesn't change my ability to organise reviews and write a decent post!

Anyway, with all that out of the way, here are some of the things that I received for my birthday! The majority of them aren't beauty related at all, but I guess since this post seems to be about letting you in on my life a little bit I may as well show you more of who I am!

Beauty is one of those things that I am not known for. Close friends and family are aware of my, uh, obsession with makeup related things, but my peers and classmates would not at all suspect studious, science-loving, book-reading me to be into beauty related things. In fact they would be very shocked.

For my birthday I was blessed to receive some lovely, lovely gifts.

From my parents I was given a gym membership which I am ridiculously excited about! The only thing I like is the treadmill so I cannot wait!

From my friends I received a gorgeous bracelet, jewellery, books, (how cool is this) a giant periodic table for my science-loving side (I am studying Chemistry and Biology this year so I am sure it shall come in handy!) and one of those pin art things. As a child I was always so jealous of those who owned a pin art toy and so for my 16th a good friend so kindly bought one for me!

As I received some money from the relatives, I treated myself to an eyeshadow palette from Inglot, and oh my goodness, I am in love! I will be posting more about that soon!

As you know, I also won THREE giveaways in January,so that was basically like a massive birthday present.

Last but certainly not least is the fact that I got my learners permit and am now learning to drive!

Thank you all for supporting me and my blog over the past couple of years as I've been learning about blogging and beauty!

I won my first giveaway - uh, no wait, I won three!

Picture this: tired and bleary eyed after a drive back from ten days at the beach, I log into my emails in the hopes that I have remembered my password correctly and sift through the spam emails cluttering up my inbox. An email catches my eye...I've won a giveaway. After a minute or so of squealing, frantic clicking and hyperventilating I discover that it is in fact true - I have won my first giveaway. Oh my goodness. After the excitement died down (what am I talking about, the excitement never died down...) I log into my blog account and patiently waiting on my dashboard are a heap of comments. Smiling at all the comments left by you lovely people, my eyes are caught yet another time. Did I read that correctly? Have I just won another giveaway? Is this a joke?

It turns out that yes, I had won another giveaway and no, it was not a joke. I was excited beyond anything - what a welcome into the new year!

Then, about one and a half weeks later I open up a post revealing the winners of another giveaway and, scanning the list, see my name and email. Wait, what? Now this is actually ridiculous, this can't possibly be happening!

In fact it was happening, third time lucky!

I won the makeup prize pack from Sophie's giveaway at Born to Buy, prize pack 2 from Dawn's giveaway at See it, Love it, Swatch it and one of the prizes from Jen's giveaway at The Shopping Queen.  I couldn't believe it considering there were 6641 entries in Sophie's giveaway, 4345 in Dawn's and 6120 entries in Jen's! Oh my goodness!

Dawn wrapped up all her goodies!

Anyone who has won a giveaway, no matter how big or small, knows how exciting it is and how you cross your fingers each morning in the hopes that the postie will be knocking on your door. When they finally came I could barely contain myself.

Here is what I have won, I can't believe my eyes. I will be posting reviews on these over the next couple of months, but if you have anything that catches your eye that you would like me to get onto ASAP then let me know!

The products I am most excited about trying are:


Dawn's giveaway
- Burt's bees cuticle cream
- MUA products!

Sophie's Giveaway
- MAC lipglass (MAC!!!)
- Nude by nature illuminator

Jen's Giveaway
- Urban Decay eyeliner (Hello, it's Urban Decay we're talking about!)

So as you can see I have been so so so lucky and that this little haul of goodies will last me a very long time! These prizes are why I have restricted my spending a little (not purchasing anything from the Essence Cheery blossom collection was oh-so difficult!) because there is just so much!

I'm sure that you all understand that I am not trying to brag or make anyone feel bad or anything of the sorts, I am merely trying to show my appreciation and excitement in regards to these incredible prizes from Dawn , Sophie and Jen and the unbelievable luck I've had of late.

Sophie wrapped up all her goodies too!

Also, I would be really appreciative if you could check out their blogs (though I imagine a large portion of you would already be following these girls!). You can find Dawn here, Sophie here and Jen here.

I am so very appreciative of the girls holding these giveaways and I am very grateful for the luck I have had. I would encourage everyone to get involved in giveaways no matter how little chance you feel you have (obviously crazy things do happen!) because not only is it enjoyable for the entrants, but it spreads the word about amazing blogs too!

"What do you think?" Wednesdays - Applying makeup in public

I fear my 'What do you think?" Wednesday posts are coming to an end - I am really struggling with topics to talk about! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated as I only have one topic for next week and then I am out of ideas!

This week's topic may seem like a bit of a strange one, something that perhaps you hadn't thought about before but it is one of those things that bothers me.

Everyone has those 'things' that other people do that really, really get on their nerves. Whether it be chewing with your mouth open, touching your hair all the time, cracking your knuckles, pronouncing a particular word incorrectly or making a particular sound when you sneeze, I can guarantee that there is some silly little 'thing' in life that really gets on your nerves.

For me, that is applying makeup in public. Weird, right?

I cannot stand seeing people apply their makeup when I am out in public. I'm not talking about freshening up your lipstick or blotting your skin to get rid of that oil, but rather the continual application of foundation or the brushing on of a bit of blush.

Don't get me wrong, it isn't actually something that I see occurring all that often, but occasionally I will stop in at the public toilets (although I avoid such occasions like the plague) and will see someone with the contents of their whole makeup bag sprawled across the bench, reapplying a full face of makeup. 99% of the time it is completely unnecessary too because their makeup is perfectly fine.

I used to know a girl who would carry around concealer in her pocket. She wore a super thick layer of foundation (which, by the way, did not match her skin tone at all) and would literally apply a layer of concealer to what I considered wasn't even a blemish every hour. Every hour!

It bothered me more than you can imagine.

The thing is, I actually have no idea why I feel so funny about it. It really makes me so very uncomfortable. I was trying to think about why this is and I came to the conclusion that maybe it was because I kind of associate applying makeup with getting dressed (and I'm pretty sure getting dressed in public is unacceptable). Maybe it is because I would like to keep up the illusion that I am naturally gorgeous and don't need makeup to look so stunning (I hope you all don't think that I was being serious about that last comment!). Whatever it is, I actually have no why it is that I have this ridiculous 'pet peeve.'

I decided to mention it to a couple of people to see what they thought about it, and I didn't really come across anyone who thought it was all that strange...until I spoke to the males. Every male who I mentioned this to was on my side - they found it weird and uncomfortable. I think for them it was like all girly things - they prefer for them to remain a mystery so that when a female comes out looking all gorgeous it is quite magical, as opposed to them understanding the complicated process that has gone behind the scenes to create such an illusion. Knowing how it was created takes away the magical element. Of course, this theory doesn't apply to me at all, but it was nice to get an idea of their perspective.

Anyhow, basically I have come to no conclusion as to why I feel so funny about this and why it bothers me so much. Like I said, a fresh application of lipstick doesn't bother me in the slightest, it is really just foundation, eyeshadow, mascara, blush etc. that gets under my skin.

Why is this? What on earth makes me think like this? Is there anyone out there who can relate or am I really that strange?

Monthly Favourites - January

The first month of 2013 is well and truly over, and the realisation that one twelfth the new year has passed has been quite a surprise if I'm really honest with you. To think that the countdown to the end of the year has already begun!

As always, here are the products I used most regularly in January.

Face - I wrote a raving review about the incredible concealing properties of the Catalina Geo Skin Cover, and as a result I used this basically everyday. As this is not a cheap product I probably should be using this a little more sparingly, but I just love it too much. I will miss it when it runs out!

Eyes - This little eyeshadow quattro by Essence, whilst not the most amazing product I have ever stumbled across, is one that I've been using regularly, though the second peachy shade in particular. As I mentioned in the review, this is not the best eyeshadow in the whole world but for five dollars I have had a lot of decent wear out of it and I shall continue to use it.


Lips - My love for lip crayons carries on, with my Face of Australia lip crayon in Macaron stealing the lip category spotlight. I don't know what it was about this shade (usually Cupcake is easily the most worn) but I turned to it so often it wasn't funny. I love it so much.

Nails - For nails it was terribly easy, because I wore a long ago discontinued polish by Innoxa on my toes all month. It is in the shade Hot Chilli but it was literally years and years ago that I purchased this.

Other - Lastly is the other category, and for January it easily goes to the Paul Penders P.M. Moisturiser (night cream) that I won in a giveaway (more coming up in regards to that soon!). I've never used a night cream but I have since discovered how lovely they are, being a thicker and more luxurious cream for overnight wear. I will eventually get around to completing a review on it but if you were thinking about getting it, you certainly get my tick of approval.

There you have it, my first favourites post of 2013!