Most reached for items #1....

John Freda Frizz Ease leave in conditioner to treat my hair after long days in the sun and sea....

Palmers Cocoa Butter SPF 15 because the sun has finally shown it's face again and I'm enjoying making the most of it (safely)...

Nivea lip butter in Caramel Cream has such a rich formula and keeps my lips moisturized all day...

I love...strawberries & milkshake hand cream helps keep my hands and cuticles soft before during and after working hard on the farm...

Cover Girl clump crusher mascara deserves all the hype it gets, it separates and lengthens and holds curl all day....

Maybelline colour sensational in pink pop is my go-to bright lipstick when all I want is minimal makeup on hot days. It has a gorgeous creamy finish and wears really well while I'm sweating it out in the Australian sunshine...

Organix macadamia oil is an extra little treat for my hair and helps keep frizz at bay when things start to get humid, plus really affordable...

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream is a holy grail face product for me, light enough to wear on hot days, with great coverage and matches to my skin tone perfectly...

What are your most reached for items?

Loves

xxx

Face of the day....

Not normally one for eyeshadow, I donned my (limited collection) of Mac shadows and tried out a bit of a golden/purple smokey eye for mine and my Ty's 6 month anniversary meal (altogether now....ahhhhhh).

Dress - Jay Jays (Australian)

Foundation - Revlon photo ready

Concealer - Benefit erase paste

Brows - Rimmel eyebrow pencil

Eyes - Mac shadows Retrospeck, Sketch and Cognac, L'Oreal HIP colour truth cream eyeliner

Lashes - Cover Girl Clump Crusher

Blush - Mac Well drressed

Highlighter - Essence Circus Circus in It's Magic

Lips - Chi Chi in Shake that booty and Revlon gloss in Glitz and Glam

 

I'd love to start a Mac palette one day, any suggestions of some first basic colours to get me started would be much appreciated...

Loves

xxx

Review - Revlon Colour Stay Ultimate Suede lip colours....

Finally, something we have in Australia before the English (I think)!! There's been some real hype around these new products from Revlon and, as I'm not only a lipstick addict but also one of Revlons biggest fan's, I picked one up to see what they were all about. Revlon describes them as

'a soft formula with moisturizing shea butter and aloe is food proof and doesn’t quit'

I bought the colour Finale, a bright pinky red shade; with names like Private Viewing, It Girl and High Heels, it was hard to choose!

Anyone who thinks these will be like the lip butters will be disappointed, as there's absolutely no moisturisation in these at all (in my opinion). When first applied, they glide on smoothly, don't slip and slide on the lips, and give a nice and even, strong colour pay off. After a few minutes, as I've read in most reviews, this sheen dries and the colour becomes mat with a strange sticky feeling but I've managed to get past that. The colour has some serious staying power. While I've been writing this I've worked my way through a cup of tea and, whilst there is some evidence of the product on the mug, it hasn't seemed to budge from my lips. This probably needs a longer trial than one brew to see the real results but, overall, I'm a fan. Colour, durability, packaging, colour range, and ease of applying this product all get a nice big thumbs up from me. 

Anyone else tried these lip products from Revlon yet? Maybe some colours seem to be better than others but I only really seem to find bad reviews!!

Loves

xxx

OOTD ft. the most beautiful ankle boots you ever will see....

It's a rare occasion when you can dress up in my little town of Rainbow Beach, so when the girls suggested a few drinks in our local bar listening to our favorite Irish band (happy St Patrick's day by the way everyone!) I was in! Unfortunately, this is about as dressed up as it gets around here (oh how I long for my heels back some days).

 

Shirt: Forever 21

Top: Valley Girl (Australia)

Belt: Dorothy Perkins

Skirt: BooHoo

Boots: ASOS

Bracelets: Diva, and a mixture of collections up and down the East Coast of Australia

Necklace: Primark

Handbag: Market in Perth, Australia 

After my black Dr Martens got sent home to the UK instead of here to Australia (sob) I was desperately in need of some footwear, seeing as I'd managed to ruin everything bar a pair of black flip flops. My previous shoe collection would be so ashamed. I picked these beauties up from ASOS for around 50 pounds and they are so heavy duty and chunky looking, my favorite with tights and lacy dresses when it finally cools down over here. A new found love for my wardrobe.

 

  Loves

xxx

I'm on Bloglovin'....

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/2562778/?claim=96npjr28akw">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Beauty boxes...my first experience with BellaBox...

Back home I admit I was a big fan of the beauty box craze that went on, and I felt I was missing out a bit being out of the loop over here in Australia. I did my research and decided to subscribe to bellabox http://bellabox.com.au/. It's $15 per month and I'm only subscribing for 3 months, before I go home to the UK. This month was the February 'shimmer and shine for Valentine time' box. Sounds promising!

First up: packaging. Basically it's cute, but the colour doesn't interest me at all. I'm much more a pink, glossy, girlie fan when it comes to these boxes and this just didn't do it for me at all.

 

Inside, same kind of story, just a bit of love heart tissue paper, and the little card with all the products on, neither of which 't really fit in with the theme at all. Sorry bellabox, just not feeling you so far.

 

Inside, it got a little bit better...

  

What bellabox say: Batiste Dry Shampoo- Must Have! Our bb favourite Batiste is back  in their new pretty in pink packaging- we guarantee it'll be the new love of your life next time you need fresh locks fast!

Back in the UK there was some controversy when a mini Batiste dry shampoo appeared in one of the monthly subscription box. My opinion? When this stuff is SO expensive on the other side of the world, I'd class it as a luxury product! So far, so good. 

 

What bellabox says:U skin solutions clean and go exfoliating gel cleanser - super skin care. This two in one cleansing and exfoliating solution is perfect for keeping pores clear and clean. Caldendula, anti bacterial tea tree oil and super fine bamboo beads leave your skin feeling soft and smooth.

Forever on the look out for the magical perfect cleanser, andything that may be taking me one step closer to it is a winner for me. Tiny downside is that the product sample is, literally, tiny. 

Bioderma crealine H2O - cult! This cult cleansing water removes every trace of makeup (even waterproof mascara) as well as the impurities in your skin at a cellular level. Plus, it's safe on eyes. Wonder product alert!

There are no words to describe how much I have wanted to try this, it's provably the product in the box I was most excited about. I'm just a little bit worried that it's going to make me want to buy the whole thing, I don't think my purse can handle it!

 

Sally Hanson complete salon manicure - colour product. No time for a salon mani? No stress! Achieve the at-home trifecta: a gel-like shine finish, fast and easy application and chip resistant. 

Mine came in Mermaids Tail, a gorgeous blue polish with green and blue chunks of glitter. It's at least a three coater but so far it's lasted two days chip free - unheard of on my terrible nails!

 

Be in awe skin Samskrta skin polish - Luxe. Designed to remove dead skin cells and leave skin looking (and feeling!) soft and radiant, this polish combines cranberry extract, gluconic acid, vitamin B3 and co-enzyme Q10 with micro jojoba beads. Hello vibrant shimmering skin.

Again, anything that can help me on the path to the perfect complexion is a winner due to the fact I'm to stingy to buy full size products in the fear that they won't work and I'll have wasted money. 

Bonus product was a sachet of sun screen, always a good shout in the Australian sunshine!

In my honest opinion, too much skin care and not enough makeup. The packagine does put me off but I guess it's what on the inside that counts! Can't wait to get next months box and see what's in there (fingers crossed more makeup....)

Loves

xxx

February beauty favourites....

 

Maybelline Colour Sensational lipstick in 900 Pink Pop: Glossy, pink, long lasting. Enough said.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation: I've been working some crazy hours recently and needed some sort of skin pick me up. This foundation is a miracle worker, it has those light reflecting pigments (note: NOT glitter) that give your face a radiant glow that lasts all day. I like to think this is a dupe for Nars Sheer Glow that my poor budget won't stretch to!

Vaseline cocoa butter: I bought this for a bargain of $5 and it's lasting me ages. Smells like a mix between chocolate and vanilla, makes my skin really soft and makes me want to eat my own arm.

Lee Stafford argon oil shampoo and conditioner: Lee Stafford will forever be one of my favourite hair care brands. This doesn't smell quite as good as his flat iron protect mist (come on girls you know exactly what I'm talking about) but it's made my poor dry ends start to feel a bit healthier. Although to be honest I think the only thing that can fix them would be a hair cut. 

Maybelline Baby Lips: This one has barely no colour, smells like berries (if a little bit artificial) but literally made them as soft as a baby. Only down side, I'm going through it at a scary sort of speed. 

L'Oreal High Intensity Pigments colour truth cream eyeliner in black: One of the longest eyeliner names in history, and one of the longest lasting eyeliners I've ever used. This stays on all day, is the blackest black eyeliner I've ever used and is in such a big pot it could well last me forever and ever. LOVE this and is probably my favouritest favorite of the month. 

Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream: I went on a bit of a drugstore skin care binge recently and, if I'm totally honest, this was the only thing that was anywhere near worth me picking up. It lives up to it's name being a rich cream, sinks into the skin without feeling oily or greasy, and makes my skin feel amazing when I wake up. And who doesn't love super soft skin??

Loves

xxx

My Perfume Collection...

OK so that title is a little lie. Half of my perfumes are, of course, back home in the UK, so this is just the few perfumes I've collected while I've been over in Australia. Now it's not a huge great big fancy collection, but I'm excited to show it off because I LOVE every single one of them. Oh and if you're expecting a fancy review of the 'notes' then you'll be severely disappointing. I know nothing about foundations further than 'Ooooo that smells nice'.

(left to right) Vera Wang Rock Princess, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Givenchy Play, Vera Wang Princess, Nicki Minaj Pink Friday

Vera Wang Rock Princess: probably my least favorite of my collection - not to say I don't like it but the smell doesn't really stick around too long, and it's not really one of those 'distinctive' scents that someone walking past would recognize, but it is a very nice day to day perfume.

Vera Wang Lovestruck: Well first of all, hello pretty, gorgeous, amazingly impractical bottle. OK so I know it's not really a throw in your handbag sort of perfume bottle but luckily the scent sticks around for a while, only a few sprays and you're set for the day. It's a grown up floral smell without being too girly, and I'd say there will be a repeat purchase as soon as this bottle is finished. 

Givenchy Play: now I never actually chose this one myself, it was a present from my boyfriend when he came back from overseas. It is STRONG, in a good way, but you really only need two sprays to last you the entire day. It's got a bit of a musky scent but still stays on the side of the summer perfume fence. Unfortunately this is rapidly running out but it has lasted a good while.

Vera Wang Princess: yes you can see a theme appearing here, I am a bit in love with Vera Wang perfumes. This one is, for want of a better phrase, possible a 'signature scent' of mine. I used to wear it back in the UK and just had to re-purchase it over here, for no other reason than I love it and it reminds me from home. Sentimental yes, worth the fairly hefty price tag? Also yes. 

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday: This one is the latest in the collection, again a gift from the boyfriend, and there's pretty much only two things I need to mention here. Number one is the awesomely incredible bottle, the second is that it smells EXACTLY like Viva La Juicy. As I said I'm no perfume expert but jeez I feel like she's just emptied a bottle of the Juicy Couture perfume into her own, fancier bottle. This isn't a complaint; Viva La Juicy is one of my all time favorite perfumes and is quite hard to get hold of over here, but yeah....crazy dupe alert!

Loves

xxx