January/February 2014 | Empties #1

A little while ago I decided I would jump onto the "empties" band wagon. They're one of my favourite types of posts because then you know what people do and don't like. I've been hoarding my junk  so here is my January/February empties!

Simple - Kind to Skin Light Moisturiser - $9.99

I really like this moisturiser. It's really nice on the skin and really sinks right into the skin. I put on two layers of this and my face loves it. It's a really affordable great quality moisturiser.

Would I repurchase? Yes!

Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturiser - $13.99

I did not like this moisturiser at all. My sister bought it for me when she first got home from America because she said she loved it but my skin just doesn't like it. For starters - my skin is dry to normal and not oily at all which might be the problem. It makes my skin feel kind of plasticy if that makes sense? It doesn't sink all the way into the skin and just feels horrible on my skin. 

Would I repurchase? No because it doesn't work for me. 

La Roche Posay - Thermal Water - $9.99

My sister received this in a Lust Have It box a while ago and gave it to me. She said she didn't need it because it's "water in a can" but it makes my skin feel a lot softer! I really like this product but I think I want to try more of the soothing mists on offer. 

Would I repurchase? Maybe

Covergirl - 3-in-1 Foundation - $19.95

I really like this foundation although I will say it will sweat off if you wear it during a hot day. At least it does on my skin. It provides a nice amount of coverage and looks really good as well. This is my second bottle of this foundation so that just means I do like it considering I really can't stick to one foundation! 

Would I repurchase? Yes, I'm just waiting for a Covergirl sale! 

Swisspers - Cucumber Facial Cleansing Wipes - $6.29

I bought these in a pack of 3 from Big W for $8 but the single price from Priceline is about $6.29. These are my favourite wipes, they smell really fresh and do a decent job at removing make up. I don't use these alone I do use a facial cleanser in the shower but I just like having wipes for removing my make up. 

Would I repurchase? Definitely! 

Swisspers- Cotton Pads - $3.99

Swisspers sell my favourite cotton pads. They're really soft and gentle. I use these to remove my eye make up and apply my toner with. Honestly, I don't buy any other brand of cotton pad.

Would I repurchase? Yes! 

Those are my empties for January/February. I use up a lot more skincare products than anything else. 

Link me your empties post in the comments if you've done one this month! I love reading them. 

O Week Chaos

As you may or may not know (depends on where you live in the world I suppose) this week was O Weeks for some Australian Universities, including mine. Orientation I'll have to say is a terrifying thing. I'm currently studying a double degree which is the Bachelor of Law/Bachelor of Criminology and Criminal Justice. Before you ask, no Criminology isn't like crime scene investigations! That's forensic science. As I'm doing a double degree I had two orientation days one for Law and the other for Criminology. The first day of Orientation was absolutely terrifying. I wasn't nervous to be going to O week or anything but Market Day (a day in which all the clubs and other organisations associated with the university give out information and you can sign up for stuff) was on the first day that I had my Law orientation and there was so many people. I walked down a pathway because I was looking for the theatre and people were just giving me information bags and asking if I wanted to play games and it was so scary. As a person that has struggled with anxiety - sometimes extreme anxiety but I do have it under control now - I was really scared and I had no idea what to do. I decided to go to the stalls that I had an interest in and pick up information and sign up for clubs which I think was a good idea on my part. After all that chaos I headed to the theatre because I finally found it amongst all of the people and we had a seminar on what the course was like and how to sign up for the Law Society. We were then split up into groups and had a campus tour and THANK THE LORD, I would have never been able to find the seminar rooms for my tutorials if they didn't do that. Then they had a free lunch but I was kind of uncomfortable so I went home after half an hour as after lunch the day was over.

 The second day was the Criminology orientation which is on another campus but that one is a lot smaller. The day went pretty much the same except when they split us up into little groups - the groups were named by serial killer by the way - we had a little meet and greet thing. I ended up getting along with a lot of the people who won't be doing the same Criminology classes that I'm doing so that's always a good time. After that there was another free but the space was a lot bigger so I felt a bit better about the amount of people there. I got a chicken burger but they put the biggest piece of chicken on that burger I was curious as who likes to eat this much chicken in one bloody sitting? All in all I think Orientation went well, I learned a bit about the courses and had answers to questions that I had so I think it was a success. 

On Thursday I started my first shift of work which is on uni campus so that's really handy! I think I did well but it is a food place so there was a big rush at 10:30am when I just started learning the register and it was pretty hectic! I ended up getting the hang of it though and did pretty well in my second shift on Friday! I'm pretty excited about work I feel like a lot of things in my life are finally falling into place. 

Now I get the weekend to relax and catch up on blogs and youtube before starting my actual uni classes on Monday. 

How was your week? 

Beauty Wishlist | February 2014

Products shown above:

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
  I've been waiting a little while for these blushes to hit stores in Australia because I think they're just so beautiful. I was expecting them to retail for $62 like the Ambient Lighting Powders but surprisingly they're retailing for $50! 
• MAC Rebel Lipstick 
  Lately I've been obsessed with this lipstick, it's such a nice colour. I've been debating whether or not I want to purchase it because I'm scared it won't suit me but I love the colour so much. This lipstick retails in Australia for $36. 
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
  I've wanted this for a while but I just never purchased it but I'm obsessed with it again and I think when I get my Priceline gift voucher I'm going to use that to purchase this. This brush retails for $19.99.
• Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey
  With the upcoming release of the Revlon Matte balms I wandered over to the Revlon section and swatched the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains and completely fell in love with Honey. I can tell when the matte versions are released I'm going to be spending a lot of money at Revlon. They retail for $17.95
• Smashbox Full Exposure Palette
  This is such a pretty palette and I only just realised today that Mecca have started stocking it. This palette retails for $69.95. 
• Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer in Milk Chocolate
  I've very recently started to get more into bronzers but I feel like the problem with cheaper brands of bronzer is most of them contain shimmer or they're way too dark for my way too pale skin. I've seen a lot of reviews by people with a similar skin tone and it looks really lovely on their skin so I'm assuming it would have the same effect on mine. This retails for $43.95.
• Clinique 3-Step Introduction Kit Type 2
  I've used Cinique samples previously when I was younger and my skin absolutely loved it but I never really wanted to buy it because of the price tag but I feel like I should just invest in Clinique because I know it works. I've spent a lot of time wasting a lot of money on products from the lower price point and there is an ingredient in cheaper skincare that my skin hates. I don't know what it is but I know Clinique don't seem to use it. It is present in make up as well so if you know like a common ingredient in cheaper cosmetics that a lot of people are allergic to? Tell me. Haha. I'm going to tell my doctor about it when I see her so she can find out the issue but y'know. That was a ramble and a half. This retails for $29 but it's just the 4-week-trial-thing.
• Clinique All About Eyes
  I need an eye cream because the last one I had I was actually allergic to. I am definitely going to see if I can get a sample of this before purchasing, if I can't I most likely won't get it but I'm going to try my best! This product has a steep price point but people say that it lasts for ages so that's good. It retails for $58 for 15ml or $92 for 30ml. It would be smarter to buy the bigger one in my opinion. 
• Sigma Make Me Blush Essential Kit
  The last thing on my pretty long wishlist is the Sigma Make Me Blush Essential kit. Polyvore doesn't have a picture of the pink ones so we'll have to make do with the Mrs Bunny ones. Sigma brushes are supposed to be like "THE SHIT" and they're pretty cute too so I need this in my life. This set retails for $155 USD so for Australian dollars it's either gonna be a little more or a little less depending on when I make a purchase. 

A Week of Change

Things have been changing so fast for me. Last month I was accepted into my first choice University and degree which was so exciting but now it seems everything is going so fast paced! On Monday I had a job interview at a Cafe at my university and the lady hired me during the interview - which I didn't think happened in real life haha - and because it's a university job it pays well above minimum wage. I'm so excited things are moving so fast which is the way I like it and to top it all off my sister had her baby! She is such a beautiful baby girl - I didn't think it was possible to love somebody so much when  I've only known them for a day and a half!

Her name is Kayleigh and she was born 7'12 pounds (I don't understand why Australia uses kgs for everything except babies though.) I'm very excited to be an aunty it's so crazy. The rest of this post is just going to be a photo montage of her because she's so gorgeous.

Liebster Award Nomination #2

I was nominated recently for another Liebster Award thing so here is a post answering questions, asking questions and tagging some people. ThatGraceGirl nominated me and she is very lovely and has a great blog so go check her out.

The Rules

• Mention the person who nominated you with a link to their blog.
• Answer the 11 questions provided by the person who nominated you.
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers
• Create a new set of 11 questions for your nominees to answer.

1. What is your favourite skincare product?
   I don't have any like holy grail skincare products I test things all the time but I honestly haven't found anything that I'm completely in love with. 
2. Who is your biggest fashion inspiration?
   I don't think I really have a biggest fashion inspiration. I just like..whatever seems good in the store I'm at. 
3. Liquid or pencil eyeliner?
   I like the look of liquid but pencil is safer for me. I make mistakes a lot with liquid. 
4. What inspired you to start blogging?
   I've always liked the idea of starting a blog I just never knew what to blog about and then I found all these beauty blogs and I was like... that's what I could blog about. 
5. If you could only wear one makeup brand for the rest of your life what would it be?
   I don't know. I feel like specific brands are great at specific products but not every product. Revlon seems to have a good range though so if I was FORCED to choose I'd choose them. 
6. What is your dream job?
   I'd like to be a barrister in some high class law firm in Sydney or something. Or I want to win the lotto and travel for my entire life. 
7. What is your favourite foundation?
   Covergirl 3-in-1 foundation is good. 
8. Give your favourite piece of style advice.
   Don't wear socks with thongs. 
9. What is your favourite clothing store?
   I'm a bigger person so I quite enjoy City Chic although it can get a bit tacky sometimes. 
10. Chocolate or sweets?
    Chocolate, lollies hurt my teeth! 
11.  What is your favourite thing about blogging?
    I really enjoy talking about make up to be quite honest so I don't think my friends would appreciate in depth thoughts about products that I'm in love with so I've been blogging my feels and thoughts.

Out of sheer laziness I'm going to ask the same questions as last time but they're pretty good questions! I'm also tagging other people so it's okay.. heh. 

1. What is your favourite drug-store product?
2. What is your favourite high-end product?
3. If you had to choose one would it be Mascara or Eyeliner?
4. Maybelline or Covergirl?
5. Is there a drugstore version of a highend product that you think is better?
6. What is your favourite skincare product?
7. Do you wear different foundation during the summer?
8. Are you a fan of BB creams?
9. Who do you think does the best eyeshadows?
10. Liquid or pencil liner?
11. What is your favourite tv show right now?

People I'm tagging:
KimsBeautyDrawer

LemonMel

I'm not sure who else to tag because I tagged all my other favourite people with less than 200 last time so yeah haha. There we go :) 

Dabbling in Essence

I've never really been drawn to Essence before (mainly because stores don't seem to look after the selection they have of Essence so testers are either stolen or it's just a hot mess) but more recently I've been looking out for products I'd like to try and going to multiple stores if testers are missing.

(Swatches Below)

For Christmas my sister bought me the Beauty Beats blush in Groupie at Heart. It was limited edition and no I don't like Justin Bieber but y'know, the blush is nice! What I will say about this blush is that it's terrifying to use. It's so pigmented I only have to slightly dab my brush into the pan, any more than that and I look like a clown. It's a really really pink colour as you can see from the Swatch I did but I think you could use this as an eye-shadow if you really wanted to. 

This blush has made me want to buy a few more Essence blushes, I'm just looking for more colours that I like. It's a really nice formula and I would recommend Essence blushes in general, since you can't buy this one any more. I believe that this blush costed $4.50 but I'm not certain because I didn't buy it for myself. 

A few days ago I purchased the Lipstick (Cotton Candy) and Lipliner (Cute Pink) just to kind of test the formulas of these products as well and I really like the colours although I will say they're both quite drying I think. Honestly I'm not irritated by lip products that kind of dry out the lips but I know a lot of people are. I really like the combination of these colours together. The lipliner kind of darkens the lipstick so it's not too bright and I love them worn together.

The downfall in Essence I feel like is that they have these really good lipliners but in very few colours. For $1.75 they're amazing quality and colour I just wish there was more to choose from! The lipstick costed around $4.50 I think which is an amazing price for lipstick as well. 

What Essence products have you tried and which ones would you recommend I try? 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid + Powder | Review

Last night I changed my blog from wordpress to blogger because I felt like this website gives me more options and it's easier in my opinion to connect to other blogs as most of them are on blogger! My bloglovin is still the same I just changed the url for it. I'm also still figuring out this whole picture editing thang. 

At the end of last year I decided I would try the MAC studio fix fluid and powder (fluid in NC15 and powder in CW20 I believe) because I had 20% off at Myer so I thought - why the hell not? I've been using the foundation and powder for about a month now I have to say I do love it. It stays on my face for the majority of the day (due to summer and sweatage most foundations don't last at all on my face - my old one used to be completely missing from my face after about 7 hours.) Although it's expensive I've found that I don't need to use a whole lot of the fluid to cover my face which is a bonus because that means it will last a little bit longer. I think this has got to be one of the best foundations I have used - and so it should be considering I paid $40 for each product, they're usually $49. 

I still have my Covergirl foundation to use if I'm just running down to the shop for an hour or two or if I want to play around with my make up and I still do love it and will always repurchase but... for staying power and colours available I think MAC wins but it should be better because of the price difference. 

How do you feel about high end products and have you tried any MAC products?