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.

Monthly Favourites - November

It's December, which is ridiculous. I'm sure every man and his dog will express the speed with which this year has flown in their monthly favourites, so I'll spare you from hearing it again. November marked the last of my uni exams and the successful completion of my first year of university! To celebrate, this blog was resurrected from the dead and I'm slowly getting back into the swing of posting.

It was darn easy to pick monthly favourites for November because I haven't shared any favourites with you for months.

Eyes: Without a doubt, buying the Makeup Geek starter palate on a whim at 1am one night was easily one of my better decisions. It comes with 9 standard shades, almost all of which I feel are appropriate for a starter kit. I would have loved to see more browns instead of purples, however I have been getting use out of all of them. The pigmentation is amazing, palate set up (that allows you to remove the pans with ease) and the cost is pretty good. A clear winner.

Face: After all the raving about the Hourglass products, I really wasn't convinced. For a powder that cost so much and barely showed up, my student budget wasn't having it. Then Model's prefer came out with a dupe and I jumped on the bandwagon. I adore this powder, it is amazing and I have mine in the shade Photo Ready.

Lips: As I stated in my haul here, I didn't even know that this range of glosses existed until I purchased one. I cannot recommend the Rimmel Oh My Gloss range enough, despite only owning one shade (Glossaholic). It is perfect in every way.

Nails: I must admit, these polishes came as a little bit of a disappointment however I had to include them because they are the only polishes I've worn all month. It is the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polish in Get it Bright and the corresponding gel topcoat. I expected super good wear out of this and I found it to be relatively similar to all my other polishes. I'm going to keep persisting but it hasn't won me over yet...

Other: I have never been a fake tan person but the Australis Tinted Let's Go Steady Gradual Tan Body Moisturiser (what a mouthful!) is incredible. Incredible! I lather this on daily for about three days in a row and I have a natural but clearly enhanced glow to my skin. It smells fine, is so freaking easy and looks bloody amazing. I love this product.

Book: I've added in a new category because books are such a big part of my life. This month I read one of my favourite books of the year - Blood and Guts by Richard Hollingham. It is a brief, albeit absolutely fascinating, history of surgery and developments through areas like heart surgery, transplants, plastic surgery and the brain. It is gory, gruesome and overall absolutely mind blowing. This book made me so, so appreciative of the current medical practises, and in awe of the brilliant minds who came before us, discovering new ways to improve surgical techniques and the comfort of their patients. An incredible book for a science-lover.

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! 

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Rosy Outlook

How has everyone been lately? Personally, life has been crazy for me and disappointingly this blog has been on the bottom of my list, hence why it's been so quiet around here. Sadly I don't think that is going to change until I graduate from school at the end of this year! Never mind, I'm here with a NOTD in a beautiful warm pink shade from Sally Hansen called Rosy Outlook. 

I was lucky to receive this in a giveaway prize and I have been using it quite frequently since because it is such a gorgeous pink that covers all the requirements:
- Bright and cheery
- Able to match a large variety of outfits
- Not too eye catching and attention stealing yet still pretty enough for people to admire

- Beautiful formula that is easy to apply

- Lasting power and chip resistance (this lasted four days without chipping)

I am really impressed with this polish and know that when summer comes around it will be on my nails a lot. I also love the shape and size of the bottle, there certainly is a heck of a lot of polish here! I've only ever tried two Sally Hansen polishes but both of them have impressed me immensely.  

Even though Sally Hansen polishes aren't the cheapest polishes on the market I am definitely going to add some more to my collection because they are fantastic. What do you guys think of Sally Hansen polishes?

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!

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!

Sally Hansen Xtreme Wear Nail Colour in White on

I'm not going to lie - a white polish is hardly the most thrilling NOTD but I've just been wearing it so darn often that I had to show you. At first when I was considering purchasing a white polish I wasn't sure whether I liked the look or whether I thought it was a little liquid paper-esque. I've since decided that I am a huge huge fan, and that white nails are a clean, summer shade that literally go with anything. 

This Sally Hansen polish in White on is just awesome, a lovely formula that is easy to work with and opaque in two coats. I would love it if it was quick drying but sometimes you just can't have everything. This, as the name suggests, is long wearing and resistant to chipping. I would recommend this wholeheartedly.

What do you think of snow white nails?

NOTD - French Nails

White polishes aren't known for their quality. When I think of a white polish I think of streaky, semi-translucent mess that is not worth bothering with, however I have wanted one forever because I love the look of simple french tips.

Priceline was having a sale on their Sally Hansen polishes (I don't recall what the exact sale was). I have never tried anything from Sally Hansen because there are so many cheaper and good quality alternatives, but when I saw that there was a white polish for $4 I decided to give it a shot in the hopes that it was quality, opaque and easy to work with.

So far I've only used it to create this NOTD but I love it. It's a perfect consistency and I only used one coat for each of the white nail tips. Topped off with Ulta's French Pink, I am so pleased with this simple but classy (and super easy to make) NOTD.

I would love to know what you think of it because so far I've had only positive responses to it (which is an absolute miracle because I can always find someone who hates my nail polish!

Haul - Sportsgirl, Colette, Temt, Target, Priceline & more

So I'm really not a spender but the combination of exams from hell and holidays kind of lead to, uh, this wonderful assortment of treats!






































First up, scarves. I purchased three scarves that I am absolutely in love with, for such cheap prices!
1. A black and white one with the word 'Love' printed on it from Sportsgirl for $5 down from $25
2. A black and white one with sugar skulls and hearts printed on it from Jay Jays for $2.50 down from $15
3. A blue/purple and white one patterned one from Jay Jays for $2.50 down from $15

Next I went to Colette and spotted a heart ring for only $2 down from $4, and a necklace that was initially $6 but on sale for $3. I typically purchase and wear silver jewellery so it is a nice change to go for something gold.

I then went to Target and found a simple black summery dress for $15. It really is nothing fancy but it's perfect for those days where you can't be bothered to plan an outfit but you still want to look nice. It can also be dressed up with a belt, colourful accessories and heels if need be. I particularly love the slight detail at the back.

I then found myself in Temt purchasing a shirt that was on sale from $20 down to $10. I wish I had owned this shirt when I was doing work experience in a Speech Pathology clinic because it is so classy...I love it!

A new 'super' Op-Shop opened up a couple of days ago so Mum and I went down to check it out. Apart from the fact that it is absolutely enormous, it was a little disappointing because it was quite expensive in comparison to other Op-shops. There were some beautiful shoes, but I'm not willing to spend $30 or $40 on secondhand shoes (even if they have only been worn once or twice)!

I did find some things though, a gorgeous gold bangle for $4 and a belt to wear with my black dress for $2.

Last but not least, I went to Priceline because I was absolutely dying to buy one of the Face of Australia Carnivale polishes. I bought the shade 'My Island home' for $6 (normally I wait for sales but I just couldn't this time!) and hopefully I'll get some more soon. I also saw that the Sally Hansen polishes were going out cheap so I got an Xtreme wear polish in the shade 'White On.'

I'm really happy that I splurged on these lovely things...hopefully I can hang out until the after Christmas sales when I have a bit more money to spend, and there are more amazing bargains!