New to my stash - NARS, NYX, Sally Hansen and more

I do this every year: despite the fact that Christmas is coming and gifts will be given, I can't resist bargains and end up acquiring all sorts of stuff in the lead up, hoping that I won't end up accidentally receiving something I've purchased as a gift!

Lately I've sourced a couple of beauty products that are new to my stash, some of which have already become solid favourites and others that are yet to be tried at all.

The first products I've added to my collection are two nail polishes, both polishes that I believe are quite festive. The Australis Nail Glitter Topcoat in the shade Eureka wasn't on sale (I know, I can't even believe I bought it!) but I wanted something to match my new clutch and this was absolutely perfect. Of course, as usual I am behind the trends but I've been enjoying wearing a glittery accent nail lately and this has been a favourite polish for the job.

Another nail polish that I now have is the Sally Hansen Lustre Shine polish in the shade Plume. I'd never even seen these polishes before but it was on sale for $5 and I grabbed it on a whim, totally sucked in by the gorgeous holographic (is that how you describe it?) nature.

Next I finally, after so damn long, bought a Rimmel London Apocolips lip lacquer in the shade Celestial, a gorgeous mid toned pink. This liquid lipstick is something I have taken a strong liking too, including the pigmentation, formula and packaging. I think I'll get around to a review on it some time in the new year, despite the fact that I'm probably the last person on Earth to have tried them.

Then I was at Target and noticed that they were having a 30% off sale on NYX products, a brand that I was so excited about when it first came to Australia yet haven't actually explored all that much. The two products I do own from NYX - a cream blush and matte lip cream - I love, and I knew a Jumbo eye pencil had to be next. I chose the shade Cashmere, a stunning pale gold shade that I know I will get so much use out of!

Of course it was then Essence that caught my eye and I grabbed one of their Silky Touch blushes in the shade Sweetheart that I'd read positive reviews on. So far I've been really enjoying the simplicity of the blush yet its beautiful pigmentation and colour. 

I was also so very lucky to win a giveaway on Abigail's blog, Shrinking Wallet, where one of the prizes I won was a NARS duo containing the infamous blush and bronzer, Orgasm and Laguna respectively. To say that I was excited is an absolute understatement, I was over the moon with joy. I still am, using the bronzer almost every day and the blush regularly. They are both perfect! 

I'm going to enjoy playing with my recent goodies very so much! If there is a particular review you would like to see, let me know! 

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural

I've been promising to post this for a while now, and finally I've managed to assemble a review on the NYX Cream blush in Natural. First of all, I still get excited about the fact that we can finally buy NYX products in Australia. Back when I very first developed my interest in makeup it was NYX that I was most interested in, mainly due to the youtube videos I watched where American girls would talk about the Jumbo pencils and lipsticks. Years later I finally have my hands on some of their products!

As soon as I found out that I could get NYX from Target, I immediately knew that I would be coming home with one of their cream blushes. I've heard so many good things about them, and I myself really enjoyed using cream blushes in 2013. The shade I chose was natural, a gorgeous medium toned pink that I personally feel would be wearable and flattering on a large range of skin tones.

Beginning with the packaging, being a lower budget kind of brand it is hardly top of the range, but it is not laughable either. It has a simple and effective design, is sturdy and practical and serves it purpose well.

The blush itself is worthy of many praises. The texture of the blush is smooth and silky. Unlike other cream blushes I've tried the product isn't hard and does not require warming up before use. My application of choice is with the use of a stippling brush as I find this to be the quickest, easiest and most natural looking way however it is also easily applied using the fingers. I find that this blends relatively easily which is highly important for a blush as you don't want it to be uneven on the skin. It almost soaks into the skin to leave a seamless looking glow to the cheeks.

The lasting power of this is, unfortunately, less than that of powder blushes but this is simply due to the fact that it is a cream blush and they, by nature, wear off more quickly. I would not rely on this if I wanted super long lasting wear, but for the average day it is satisfactory.

I've not tried wearing this on my lips as I don't know for sure if this product is designed for that kind of use, however it is likely that it would be as many cream blush products are multi-use.

These blushes cost $11.95 which is on par with other brands, but expensive for NYX compared to what it costs overseas. This is to be expected as (frustratingly) everything in Australia is always significantly more expensive. I think this is a reasonable price for the quality of the product - I am certainly satisfied with my purchase.

I've included comparative swatches to all the other cream blushes I own so that you can get an idea of how the shade compares.

I am thrilled with this gorgeous blush. It quickly became a favourite of mine, and I pull it out when I want a natural but healthy and pretty flush to the cheeks. I give this 8/10.

L-R: Australis Flirtatious Pink, Australis Dusky Rose,
NYX Natural, Essence Sending you kisses, Essence Ice bomb

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here.

Monthly Favourites - December

Apologies for getting my favourites for this month up so late - I blame it on my lack of organisation when planning for my 10 or so days without internet. Oh well, better late than never.

December is usually a month of fun makeup because I'm on holidays and therefore able to go crazy with whatever I wish to wear (free of school based restrictions), I purchase more makeup in sales or receive it as gifts and December also calls for quite festive looks (think red lips and gold shadow). This December has been no different and I have enjoyed having the time in the mornings to actually apply my makeup with care as opposed to slapping it on in a rush to get to the bus stop in time!

First up for lips, it's a no brainer that a bright red has been my go-to. Though I have a reasonable collection of reds to choose from, I gravitated towards Revlon's Colourstay Ultimate Suede lipstick in Finale most often. A beautiful tomato red shade that is so comfortable to wear, I think I wore this about fifteen times in December. My only issue with it is that it wears off a little strangely, but nothing that can't be fixed with a quick reapplication.

For eyes it was a little more challenging to pick a favourite, primarily because I've just been using a huge variety of products, but in the end I decided on the Australis paparazzi perfect palette in Snap Attack as it just contains such a lovely combination of wearable shadows.

Next is my favourite face product, which was without a doubt the NYX Cream Blush in Natural. Despite having purchased this a while ago, I am yet to complete a review on it, but let me tell you, it is incredibly beautiful and is like magic on the skin. I can see that this will be a favourite of mine for a very long time.

In the nails department can be found the Sally Hansen Xtreme wear polish in White on. I never would have thought that a plain white polish could capture my heart quite like this one has, but I wore this for the vast majority of December.

Last but not least is the 'other' category in which I cheated a little this month and included two things. The first is a candle (I've been burning candles - safely, don't worry! - non stop despite that it is summer) and my bedroom smells of Pumpkin Latte, a candle from the Kringle Candle Company. I'm not going to lie, I actually don't love this scent, much preferring lighter, more fresh and citrus based scents, but a candle is a candle and I love the atmosphere they bring.

My other random favourite is a giant mug. Yep, who knew you could purchase coffee mugs literally the size of your head from plain old Officeworks for $4! I did try to drink Hot Chocolate out of it, but it holds litres of the stuff and in terms of practicality, really wasn't a great idea, so I cleaned it out and now store lip products in it. For such a strange purchase I've really enjoyed it!

And now here we are in 2014, December has flown by and I'm planning my big year in my final year of school! As always, I am in denial regarding how quickly time flies!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - Istanbul

So even though I love living in Australia, when it comes to makeup sometimes we just can't compete with our American and British counterparts. Sure, we have some killer products from brands Face of Australia and Australis that are exclusive to Australians only, but it doesn't really make up for the gazillions of other brands we can't get hold of (or if we can, they are twenty times as expensive). 

However, sometimes a very special thing happens whereby a brand makes it to our shores, like when Essence came onto the Target scene, and we go crazy (as is to be expected). This happened very recently for me when NYX decided to make itself comfortable on the shelves of Target once again.

I eagerly went out swatching all the products and came home with this little beauty, the NYX Soft matte lip cream in Istanbul. This is one of those products that I have had my eye on for so damn long, practically since I started this blog, and now I finally own it is is just magical!

Though no amount of online photographs and swatches will ever be as good as swatching a product in real life, I knew this was the shade for me from the beginning. An incredibly beautiful warm toned pink, this is perhaps one of the most wearable and flattering shades that I own. 

In terms of the formulation, NYX wasn't wrong when they called it a soft matte lip cream. Soft, matte and creamy it most certainly is, though the addition of 'slightly drying' could have been included in the name just to make it that bit more accurate. This is of course to be expected with a matte lip product, but it is a little frustrating because I can't really wear it everyday because my lips get all gross and flaky! When you are actually wearing the product it is really comfortable and you can easily forget that you are even wearing anything. 

This does accentuate any dry areas you already have so a good lip balm needs to be lathered on prior to application. This is so easy and fuss free to apply, it literally requires no special attention. I find the lasting power of this to be amazing...once it has dried it withstands eating, drinking and general wear and tear for a couple of hours. 

This has a lovely fragrance, almost like a cake or baked goodies type smell. Having said that, it isn't too overpowering and therefore probably wouldn't bother someone who is sensitive to smells too much. 

I'm really fond of the simple but effective packaging. The tube is coloured in accordance to the product so if you own a whole heap of these you can find the shade you are looking for in an instant. The top of the wand is matte black (reflective of the nature of the lip product, obviously) and it comes with a doe foot applicator (my favourite). It also makes that satisfying 'thwop' sound when you pull the wand out of the tube at the right speed (does anyone know that sound I am talking about, it happens most often with sticky lipglosses!). 

Perhaps the only disappointing thing about this is that the prices are significantly higher than they are in America (of course, always is the way) which didn't occur with the introduction of Essence to Australia. Still, they're hardly expensive, it is more that I am just bitter about the fact that we have to pay so much more than everyone else! This cost $12.95.

I am so looking forward to purchasing some more products from NYX...I have a feeling this brand is going to be my new favourite!

I give this product 8/10.

Monthly Favourites - November

I know that basically everyone has said this, but seriously...it's December! What the heck? Amongst all the stress of end of year exams and never ending assignments I simply lost track of time and now I'm faced with December and I'm not ready for the end of the year!

Nevertheless, there is nothing I can do about it now except look back on my favourites for November! Now, I'm kind of cheating considering that two of these products were also my favourites for last month, but I guess that just shows how much I really love them!

Eyes: This month I definitely rediscovered an old favourite that was lurking in the back of my collection, the Face of Australia liquid liner in black. This is just so darn easy to use, is pigmented and lasts all day, it has no faults!


Lips: I was so very excited when I heard the news that NYX had landed on Australian shores, and I definitely haven't been disappointed! I purchased a soft matte lip cream in Istanbul and it is the most perfect, wearable pink shade ever. My only problem is that it is quite drying (which of course is a given when it comes to matte lip products) so I sadly haven't been able to wear it everyday, but I've given it a damn good shot!

Nails: No surprises here...yep, another red. I can't help myself. Red polish is my 'thing.' This time it's Revlon's top speed polish in Fire. Quick drying, excellent formula, beautiful shade, what more could you want?

Face: The Garnier BB cream has been my absolute saviour this month. I've been so exhausted, therefore sleeping in which results in basically no time to get ready for school. I can slap this on with such ease and it takes no time at all and makes the biggest difference to the appearance of my skin. I am so in love with the version for oily skin, I wear it every day.

Other: Lastly is a pair of shoes that I purchased this month, a beautiful white pair that I got from Target. I think they were about $15 and I just love them! Admittedly they're not the most comfortable but I only wear them when I'm hanging out and about, so I don't need to do much walking in them.

Well, they're my November favourites (which really are so much like my October ones!) and I feel that at this rate, before you know it my December ones will be out too! My goodness!

Target Haul - NYX, Revlon & Essence

Dear Target,

I love you. No honestly, when it comes to makeup your deals are starting to rival Priceline's, not to mention the fact that you now have American brand NYX (excellent strategic decision on your behalf by the way...I certainly make the special effort to go to a Target store for brands Essence and NYX). Recently I went for a bit of a wander around in the hopes of picking up some cosmetics...and I did. This is what I bought:

Revlon Top Speed Nail Enamel in Guava
So remember when I was in Tasmania and I visited your store and found these wonderful wonderful bargains? Well you didn't tell me that you have just as amazing ones in Adelaide too! In Tasmania I grabbed a Revlon top speed polish in a gorgeous red shade called Fire and I adored it and decided I needed more from that range. Luckily for me, today I found another stunning shade - Guava - that was also a top speed polish...and get this, it was only $3! Amazing!

Essence Clear Lash and Brow Gel
So this isn't overly exciting, because, well, it's a clear gel...but this is the third or fourth one I've gone through this year and it's an everyday staple a girl's just got to have.

Essence Colour and Go Polish in Do You Speak Love?
After spotting this amazing ox blood shade on Mateja's blog, I decided that I needed to buy a completely seasonally inappropriate polish because it was just beautiful. My favourite nail polish shade is red too, and upon discovering that I had nothing like it I figured it was an absolute crime not to own this shade. So, here I am, holding a polish of wonderful quality that cost only $2.75.

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural
I have wanted this forever. FOREVER. The only reason I never purchased it was because I was too stingy to pay for postage from America (which always turned out to be more than the actual blush itself). Of course, upon its arrival at Target I knew it would be mine. Normally I wait for sales but I was so darn excited I forked out $11.95 for this gorgeous cream blush. How very exciting!

NYX Soft matte lip cream in Istanbul
So apparently the cream blush wasn't enough...If I'm honest with you though, the soft matte lip creams are also products I have had my eye one for so long now. Istanbul seemed like the most beautiful shade ever so I picked it up for $12.95. It's not super expensive but I've become accustomed to paying minimal prices for everything ($3 polishes and $5 lipsticks!) so this was a big deal! You had better be good, matte lip cream!

Summer sandals
Last but not least I tried on this lovely pair of white sandals because I own no summer shoes whatsoever and loved the look of them. For only $14, I'm really happy with my purchased.

So there you have it...see how awesome you are Target? I'll definitely be coming back!