The Photo Diaries #1: Christmas Week

What I got for Christmas & What I bought in the Boxing Day Sales!

As you may know for all of us who celebrate, Christmas was during this past week and I've had a lot of fun. I'm going to show you what I got for Christmas (not being braggy but I do love these posts, it's really fun seeing what other people got!) and also what I bought in the Boxing Day sales, although it's more the "after Christmas for a whole week sales" these days. 

 

I got a coffee machine because I drink a lot of coffee and spending $30-$50 a fortnight on coffee is a bit ridiculous so Mumma got me this one! It tastes pretty good and she also got me a mug which is the cutest thing ever. The present I was the most surprised about was when my sister handed me a present so I started opening it and I saw the word *BENEFIT* and I kind of shouted "what the hell?" and very quickly opened the rest and saw she got me the feelin' dandy lip and cheek kit thing. I honestly didn't think she would get me anything like this and I was so happy and grateful, I love Benefit so getting to test out highbeam, benetint, dandelion blush and lipgloss made me so happy. She also got me the Essence Beauty Beats Blush (yes, the Justin BIeber one) which is really pigmented, a bit too pigmented but if I'm careful with it I really like it! She also got me a box of roses (which I kind of ignored for a while because it was in the package with the Feelin' Dandy box.) My other sister got me a mirror for my room so that I can do my make up in there so that I don't have to brave the hot bathroom, it's really good and I like the way it looks in my room. The last thing I received was the Real Techniques Eye Set thing, which I was surprised about too! I haven't used them yet because it's been a bit hot for make up but they feel really nice. We also get the Cadbury stocking thing every year, which is nice but they changed a lot of the chocolates this year so it wasn't as nice! (I'm not a fan of the creations line and it has that in it.)  My Grandparents gave me $50 for Christmas as well so I could use it on Boxing Day. 

(The mug I got for my coffee.)

I went out on Boxing Day just to our local shops and there was actually hardly anybody there! I was really surprised. I didn't take a picture of what I bought but I bought the L'Oreal Youth Code Eye Cream and the Simple Age Resisting Day Cream which also has SPF in it which I'm happy about. I was going to go to the city on Boxing Day but when Priceline were having their 40% Cosmetics sale, I almost had a panic attack being so close and crowded to all those people. I left the store shaking so I thought I might as well just leave it and go to the local one and skip Myer & Target for a few days. 

Today I went into the city because I needed to go to Mecca Maxima, Myer, Target and Priceline and it was a pretty good day, there wasn't too many people there so I could look around without feeling like I'm in anybodies way. 

I went into Priceline looking for the TRESemme Keratin Smooth Shampoo and Conditioner (they were both sold out at my local Priceline!) and there was only one of each left so I was really happy that I got there when I did! I tried my sisters bottle of these and they make my hair less frizzy and are great, so I had to get them for myself. I also bought the Biore Blemish Clearing Scrub and also the Ice Cleanser. All skincare is 40% off for the past few days so I bought these because I was running out of my normal face scrub and wanted to try something different. 

I made one more purchase today. It was a big one. Especially in Australia, it was a BIG one. 

I got the MAC Studio Fix Fluid Foundation and Powder. The lady who worked there was so nice and helped me with my colour and explained everything in detail which I really enjoyed. I had 20% off pretty much anything at Myer so I used it on this MAC purchase and I'm really glad I did. I got both of them for $80 which is pretty good because I don't remember the last time MAC has ever had a sale by themselves without the Myer Christmas Voucher. 

All-in-all, I spent a bit of money but I feel like I saved a lot of money by getting everything with a percentage off. I really enjoyed Christmas this year and being able to browse the shops without any anxiety, although there was a bit of sweat because it has been hot. 

If you've made your own post about what you got for Christmas or what you've been getting in the sales recently, link them below or just tell me in a comment! 

I hope you've all had a wonderful holiday season! 

Paw Paw Lip Balm Review | December 11th

My mum bought me this lip balm a week or two ago because the weather was acting crazy and it was quite cold at nights last week so my lips were confused and chapped. It's not cold any more. The cold has gone. Forever. (Until probably March or April.) I had to get a new one because my Nivea one ran away. I don't know where it went. 

First thing about this lip balm I fell in love with was the smell. It smells so delicious. There are these lollies by Starburst and it smells like those but a little more natural than that. I guess it smells like paw paw but I don't really associate with paw paw that much. Or ever. Aside from the smell this did wonders for my lips. They were smooth within a day of first using it. It's also really good because it's a natural balm, which is usually better for you, or so I've heard. Another thing I think would look really nice is if you applied a matte lipstick onto your lips and then put this over the top I think it'd look really nice because it has a "hint of gloss." Your lips would also appreciate the layer of moisture. 

Overall this lip balm is great. I wish they had a body wash with this scent as well because oh my, I would die for it. Sometimes I sit here and sniff it. I probably sound like a complete whack job right now but it smells great. Also it's an Australian company so, feeding the economy of the country that I recently became a citizen of is probably a plus. 

What lip balms have you recently tried and fell in love with?

Two New Obsessions | December 10th

Time is going really fast and it never really occurred to me how much actually goes into daily blog posts. I mean I know you gotta have an idea but this is my 10th blog post and I'm starting to talk about my obsessions and less beauty-related-stuff. I will have more beauty posts but I think I will do beauty every second day while I'm posting everyday because my brain isn't a never ending source of beauty reviews and hauls and tricks and tips. Although I will do an everyday make up post thing soon when I wax my eyebrows. 

But anyway, my two new found obsessions are Jelly Splash (By obsession I mean I'm on level 70 and I started playing 4 days ago), I also have fallen in love with Scandal. I'm a  bit late on that band wagon but man. It's pretty good. Although I really hate Cyrus and what makes it worse is he won't go and adopt a baby with his boyfriend/husband/I'mNotSure. HE WANTS A BABY, GIVE IT TO HIM DAMMIT. 

In regards to Sephora stopping parcel forwarding, I don't understand their reasoning. Honestly, just ship to Australia. They'd make a lot of money from us. Stopping international buyers is a really poor business decision in my eyes. 

What are you obsessing about at the moment?

Maybelline Super Stay Concealer & Powder | Review | December 9th

A while ago I purchased the Maybelline Super Stay Concealer and Powder. I didn't bother with the liquid because it doesn't have a pump. It's 2013, you'd think all liquid foundations would have pumps by now. This is a relatively new collection in Priceline so I thought I would give it a go. The whole "waterproof" label is what made me want to buy it especially for the summer. As you know, I live in Queensland, Australia, it gets so humid and hot - sometimes it feels like my face is raining sweat. So I thought I would give this a try so here is my review on it.

The concealer costed $14.95 and the powder costed $18.95. These are just standard prices here but I do think the concealer is in weird packaging. 

 

The concealer is very thick, the picture above is just me slightly dabbing the product onto my hand. It's too thick in my opinion, especially because the tiniest bit when I try to blend it it kind of gets all over a really large area of my face and if I don't blend it all around it just kind of won't blend. As it thins the colour gets really light and it's way too light for my face, although on my hand it looked pretty similar to my foundation. 

I don't like it, it's too thick and it doesn't cover blemishes for very long at all. 

 

I really don't like this powder. This is a bit of a negative post but I feel like I tell you guys what you should buy so I think I should do one of something you should not buy. This powder feels actually really nice if you just rub your finger in it. So if you were buying a powder because it has a pleasant texture for your finger then this one is a good one. After a while after I've applied this all over my face it starts to look like you've only applied it in certain spots and it becomes an orangey colour as well after a while. I don't like it and neither of these two products are waterproof at all. They're just kind of thick and clay-like which I really do not like.

So that's my opinion on these two products - Have you tried them and did you have a different experience than I did with them? 

My Favourite Thing About Christmas | December 8th

This is just a quick post so that I can begin my week with a refreshed brain and lots of post ideas. My favourite thing about Christmas is honestly the Candy Canes, if I could just live off of Candy Canes I probably would. They are delicious sticks of goodness.

Benefit the Porefessional Primer | December 7th

 

As I've said in previous posts I won two Benefit products from the Two Truths and a Lie Facebook game competition and the second product was the Porefessional Primer.

Honestly, I would never spend this much money on a primer not matter how good it is. I don't care how good it is, I ain't ever repurchasing this stuff. I mean, it's $53 where I live. 
This is the way my brain works in regards to make up purchases
Eyeshadow Palettes? Yes I can spend over $50 no problem thank you
Blushes? Yes I can spend $45 for that NARS blush when I've saved up for it that makes sense
Primer - NO WAY YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE IT

So that's a little glimpse at my thought process. I will admit, I do really like this primer and it does make my foundation look a bit nicer and also stay a bit longer. My pores aren't as noticeable which is really nice as well so it does what it's supposed to and it does it well. I'm just not a fan of the price tag, that's my only problem with it. It reminds me a bit of my Bourjois Flower Perfection Translucent Smoothing Primer. The Bourjois one is a little bit harder to spread  because it's more of a gel thing than a liquid but they do similar things to my face.

So that's my review. If you have $53 to spend on a primer I would recommend it, if you don't go for the Bourjois one. 

Half-Price Models Prefer Brushes | December 6th

 

Okay guys, I honestly cannot believe it's December 6th. I know the year has gone fast and we've all been saying it.. BUT IT'S DECEMBER 6TH. Aside from the fact that it feels like my life is going at the speed of light and I can't slow it down... Priceline is having half off of the entire Models Prefer range. I had one Models Prefer eye shadow brush which I really enjoyed so I was like, it's half off why not? 

Extra Large allover brush - MPP103
I lost my powder brush months ago and to be quite honest I was using a really small blush brush. I really wanted a giant brush that I could use to just powder my face really quickly and efficiently and this brush does that. I bought it yesterday and used it today but it's really nice and I quite enjoy it.
Full Price - $24.99

Airbrush Foundation Brush - MPA101
I needed a new foundation brush because I've been using a really cheap one that's kind of falling apart. To be honest I've been lusting after the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush but it's sold out everywhere.. so I settled, but this brush actually is really nice. 
Full Price - $16.99

Round Smude/Crease Brush - MP23
I just wanted a crease brush but I haven't used it yet because I bought it today. So we'll see how it goes. 
Full Price - $11.99

I'm probably going to go back for the contour brush and maybe a new blush brush.. and also a new blush. Are you taking advantage of the half off models prefer range? 

Favourite Television Shows of 2013 | December 5th

I don't have a beauty post for you today because I haven't had the time to take pictures and I've been a bit frustrated with my photos because they're taken with an iPhone and I don't know how to make them look better and the iPhone lets in too much light into the lens and it distorts the colour which makes me annoyed. So, I will be doing a review tomorrow I just need to get myself sorted a little bit.

I thought I would do a little post about shows that I have been loving over 2013. They didn't necessarily start in 2013 but they are current shows.

Pretty Little Liars
I love Pretty Little Liars. I started watching it this year and I've been completely hooked from the first episode. It does get repetitive but it's okay I love it anyway.

Nashville
This is one I recently started watching - as in at the end of November recently - but I am so hooked on it. It's not a show for everybody because it's essentially about country singers and their lives when they're famous or when they're trying to get recognition by the industry but I really like it.

The X Factor US
I am a huge sucker for the X Factor US. I never really liked the Australian version because I feel like the judges are annoying as hell but the US version, I can't get enough of. Although, I will say, they're eliminating my favourites every week and I'm really starting to get irritated about that.

My Mad Fat Diary
This is a British show which is only 10 episodes long for the first season I'm pretty sure but I loved it. It's about a girl with depression and some form of binge-eating-disorder-problem, so it's not for everybody but I don't mind a tale about mental illness.

Breaking Bad
Let's just say, I'm still mourning the end of this series. I loved it. I could have kept loving it.

Homeland
I thought I was getting bored of it.. and then season 3... and now I just.. feels.

New Girl
Zooey Deschanel is the cutest thing on earth. I absolutely love this show and I think the new season has gotten even funnier. Although the whole aspect of 4 30 year olds who haven't found love or stable jobs or had children makes me frightened for the future.

Orphan Black
I think season one recently ended but man, this show. You need to see it, really, right now. It's about clones but it's done in such a way that it's intense, sad and sometimes funny so I really enjoy it. I really admire the actress as well, who knew one person could play over 4 characters... at one time.

Modern Family
Modern Family is hilarious. I will never not love it.

And there is one show I don't know how I feel about quite yet..

American Horror Story: Coven
The first two seasons I mean, I liked the first 6 episodes of each season and then it just got really weird and kind of uncomfortable and was a bit nonsensical. I mean aliens, really? But so far Coven has impressed, although it is weird.. and uncomfortable.. I've been enjoying it. But we've hit the 6ish episode mark of the season so who knows where it could go from here?

I have a tv problem, I know, but I love it so much and I was only studying 3 days a week for most of the year.

What are your favourite tv shows of 2013?

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award | December 4th

Thank you to thatgracegirl who has nominated me for the 'Very Inspiring Blogger' award, she has a lovely blog which you should check out! For this you need to state facts about yourself and then tag 10 people who you think is an inspiring blogger (I probably won't tag that many people).

1. I've had an extreme case of addiction to vloggers on youtube since I was 11. I used to wait an hour for a 50 second video because we had dial-up.


2. I've been playing the Sims games since I was 9, it was one of the first things I ever did on a computer. I used to wake up at 4am so I could play for 4 hours before school started.


3. I was born in New Zealand but recently became an Australian citizen although I lived in Australia for half of my life and New Zealand the other half.


4. Will Grayson, Will Grayson is one of my favourite books and I got to meet one of the authors David Levithan when I was 16 and it kind of made my whole year.


5. I get sad every Christmas because it always dawns on me that we're not going to have a white Christmas we're going to have a heat wave for a Christmas.


6. I spent more time in the library during High School than I did in class.. (I went to one of those "modern" schools and we were basically allowed to do whatever we wanted..)


7. I start university in February 2014 and I couldn't be more excited!

The people I nominate are:

Eat Read Glam

Tried and Tested Blog

Lemon Mel

(A few of the other people I wanted to tag have already done it so that will be it for now I hope you have a great 4th of December!)

Benefits They're Real! Mascara | Review| December 3rd

 

Last month I was a runner up in Benefits Facebook game '2 truths and a lie' competition. I won the Porefessional Primer and They're Real! Mascara. This post is my review of They're Real! which I have never tried before simply due to pricing but I would probably repurchase when it runs out.

I actually really enjoy the packaging of Benefit products as well, there is plenty to read and they look really nice. This mascara has been the most raved about mascara I've ever known about to be quite honest (besides the falsies but I feel like the falsies is... not great).

 

This is what the mascara looks like on my lashes and I absolutely love it. It has a completely different effect than my other mascaras on my lashes and it makes them look so long! It's not the most voluminous mascara in the entire world but everyone has their issues. It's quite a.. wet mascara though so sometimes it does get on the top of your lids so you just have to be a bit careful about that. The product also doesn't seem to dry and crack (you know when it starts falling off your lashes) but after application my lashes look the same throughout the day and don't lose their curl. The thing I will say I don't like is that when you put it on your bottom lashes I feel like it makes them look a little bit sad so I just don't use it for my lower lashes which I'm fine with.

Overall I think this mascara is fantastic. It's a great product itself (which is the most important part!) but it also has really nice packaging 

Children & University | December 2nd 2013

Today is a non-beauty related post because I still want to blog everyday but today I have been quite preoccupied. One of my friends has gone into labour. Which, I think, terrifies me more than it terrifies her. She seems so calm and collected about everything and I don't know how she can cope with it! The baby should be here at some point tonight which is very exciting so I'm going to bed early so I can meet her baby tomorrow hopefully. It's so strange how seemingly quick it is for somebody to create life and then bring it into the world. My sister is pregnant too so I'm going to be surrounded by baby girls come February but it's so scary. It's a human being that you have to create and then help raise into the kind of human being that people appreciate and love who is nice and caring to everyone. It's so terrifying to me and I'm not pregnant haha. 

Another exciting thing that happens in life is University. For me - University has been something I've been striving for since I was 13. It hasn't been easy or "traditional" for me because I've had a few troubles throughout my adolescent. I refused to go to school for a few years because of depression - which I'm not ashamed of any more because it's a part of me and it's something that I can now deal with. It's also something I could never control and it's like any other disease, you gotta treat it! - and when I went back I was really far behind so I ended up going to TAFE after high school which was a lot of fun but I'm graduating now and I get to do the whole "university" thang. I think I'm lucky because things could have never gotten better for me, I mean I worked for it I really did but I'm so excited to get far into life because I didn't think I would ever turn 19. I'm studying the Bachelor of Law/the Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice as a double degree and I'm so excited. I absolutely love learning. It's a five year degree but I'm going to plan on travelling every summer and then working my butt off during the school semesters. I'm also excited about meeting a whole lot of new people that want to do the same thing I do.

So this is my ranty-personal post-thing where I shared a lot probably too much but.. I'm tired, I've been waiting for a child to be born all day!

What are you excited for?

 

Lipstick Favourites | Maybelline & L'oreal | December 1st

So it's 8:01pm on December 1st 2013 and I have no idea where my year has gone. When/if I have children they'll ask me what it was like when I was 19 and I'll say I have no idea because the year went way too quickly! So my plans for this December is to post everyday until the 1st of January. I want to do this to keep my mind occupied while I'm not studying and also help me write reviews a lot better. I'm used to writing fiction and I would classify a blog as non-fiction so it's a bit of a change but I am really enjoying it so far and have talked to a few lovely people in my short blogging time. I will also be reviewing Benefits They're Real! Mascara and the Porefessional Primer, which I won in the 2 truths and a lie competition and I'm very excited about. 

So I'm going to be reviewing the two lipsticks I have been wearing the most over the spring and will continue to wear over the summer.

 

Top - L'Oreal Colour Riche Intense in Pink Passion
Bottom - Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipcolor in Coral Pop

Out of the two formulations I think that L'Oreals comes out on top. It feels really nice on the lips and isn't drying. Both colours are absolutely fantastic although I will say... when I purchased Pink Passion it looked like more of an orange pink in the store, I don't know if it was the lighting or if I was y'know.. drugged that day (I don't do drugs - stay in school) but it's pink. I love both of these colours, even if I was looking for another orangey colour! The Maybelline one, although the formula isn't as good as the L'Oreal one.. it's cheaper and the colour is fantastic. I think they both stay quite a good amount of time on my lips, especially considering the amount of water I drink. I also am so in love with corals right now and have obtained a few coral lipsticks but the Maybelline one is so pretty!

Overall, I love both of these lipsticks. I love the colours and the way they look. I would recommend them to anyone who likes bright lip colours like I do. 

What have been your favourite lipsticks recently?