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! 

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. 

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