New dream mascara alert..

Now, I don't want to say anything rash here but I think I may have found something special. We're talking Benefit They're Real special. The newest offering from 17, the Falsifeye HD mascara, claims to lengthen and add volume to lashes creating something pretty special. I'll admit, the before and after picture on the box sold it to me (yep, an ex advertising student being sucked in my the packaging…awkward). 

The actual mascara packaging is spot on. Sleek, black, simple, nice and substantial. The wand is everything I love from a mascara wand. Plastic, short bristles, easily loaded up with loads of product to make a quick 'one swipe' mascara job a real possibility. The wand reminds me a lot of They're Real, minus the spiky ball on the end, but this one tapers down to a nice fine point which makes it really easy to get into the inner lashes and coat the bottom lashes nice and easily without making one big mess.

So, to business. Bare lashes on the right, two coats on the left. I've since loaded up with three to four coats of this stuff and, thanks to the wand, it doesn't clump at all. It's super black, easily to manoeuvre the wand around the upper and lower lashes and get right into the roots thanks to the super spiky wand. I saw no signs of flaking or smudging, and I've done the ultimate test of sweating it out in the gym for a solid hour after an 8 hour shift at work and it looked just as perfect as when I'd applied it at 5am in the morning. And at around the £6 mark (they always have offers on so you can probably pick it up a bit cheaper) it's probably my new favourite find and a staple in my makeup bag.

Winner

What other drugstore mascaras does everyone love?

Loves

xxx

April favourites….

Unsurprisingly, my April favourites is fairly lip product heavy. April also saw some resurrections from makeup favourites past…. one good thing about being on a budget is being more aware of raiding old makeup and digging into the long forgotten stash!

Bright lips have been the order of the day, particularly in shades of orange. First up is the Mac Pro Longwear lip pencil in What A Blast…I love this under almost every orange lip I wear, it makes it super long wearing and the colour so vivid. On top of this I've either been wearing my Napolian Perdis Set lipstick in Noosa. I don't actually think this is available in the UK but for any Aussie readers I have on here…..if you don't own this then WHY NOT? If I want something less matte and with a bit of sheen for the day time I'll pop on the Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in In Love With Ginger. If you saw my last post you'll see my other favourite lip colour is purple, so of course my favourite (and cheapest!) purple lipstick of the month has to be the Collection Little Mix lipstick in the shade Perrie. Lastly for lips, my neutral lip shade of choice has been the Benefit lip gloss in Sugarbomb, a beautiful pink with some shimmer running through it. 

Eye favourites have been all about the old faithfuls. You'll almost definitely have seen me talk about The Balm What's Your Type Volumising mascara over the past 18 months and it's still up there as one of the best mascara's I've ever used. I've been going back to basics on eyes with just a sweep of the Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeshadow stick in Bulletproof Beige over my eyes with loads of mascara, or a sweep of neutral shadow from my very old and very faithful Sleek Oh So Special palette. I love the pink shades in here for spring/summer, and the black is one of the best I've tried. As my eyelids are, and will forever be, particularly oily, I've re-discovered Benefit Stay Don't Stray eyelid primer which, I'll admit, I was not a fan of to start with. I still think the pump dispenser is wasteful but I've learnt that less is more with this one and I've really been loving it. 

Just a couple of face products, both from one of my favourite brands, NYX. First off is something that I'm sure has been in the last 3 months favourites and I'm almost certain everyone is fed up of hearing me harp on about; the NYX matte bronzing powder in light. And for a splash of colour I've been loving the NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Hot Pink blended (VERY lightly….this product has some serious pigment to it) into the apples of my cheeks and up lightly onto the cheekbones.

What are everyone else's favourites from April?

Loves

xxx

Chermside collective haul, ft. Pop Tarts...

Expect lots of reviews coming up on some of these beauties! My first stop was Benefit to pick up a couple of re-purchases in the form of They're Real Mascara and Porefessional. I also picked up Stay Don't Stray no they've finally changed the packaging from a pump to a concealer wand like applicator. In fact, I spent a good 10 minutes discussing the benefits of this change, only to get home and realise she'd given me the old pump bottle. Annoyed much!?

I had a $50 Body Shop voucher and needed a new eye cream so picked up their Vitamin E offering. I love everything from the range so thought it was a safe bet. To make it up to $50 I also picked up one of their clay masks, I'm coming to the end of my current face mask so can't wait to give this one a go.

You have no idea how excited I was to see a Lush stand in the middle of the shopping centre...Lush is really hard to get over here! I am NOT loving my current lip exfoliator (more on that in an upcoming post) so picked up one of their trusty little pots in the limited edition Popcorn flavour, and finally bought their Big salt shampoo that I've wanted for who knows how long.

We found a really odd Japanese department store type shop, where everything was $2.80! I grabbed five pairs of lashes, and one of those weird applicator type things that I'm not convinced is any good but  at that price...why not!

My last big purchase came from Mac. I have so many 217 type brushes to blend and define the crease, but I felt my brush collection was lacking the in-famous 239 brush so I bagged one of those, as well as Mac Harmony to use as a contour (now I'm getting tanned I find contouring with bronzer just looks a bit odd) and finally a bright orange lip liner in What A Blast.

And, of course, when opportunity arrises, English sweets (Munchies) and some Pop Tarts are a must have!

I also went into Inglot for the first time in my life (heaven in a store!) but that's all a surprise for next week. Ty did snap me doing what I do best though...

So all in all, a good trip! 

Loves

xxx

July favourites....

Not many this month, I've mainly been finding my feet in Australia rather than finding my favourite moisturiser, however I think the latter may be my next mission. 

Tigi Bedhead Sugar Shock - a much nicer texture (and smell) than most sea salt sprays, I've turned to a sugar spray instead. Non of the crunchiness but all of the volume and texture, I'm not sure why we don't hear more about this beauty!

Batiste dry shampoo in Wild - my favourite of all the Batiste scents, my hair has been so oily recently that this has been a life saver.

Benefit Erase Paste - a few sleepless nights worrying about jobs etc have caused me to reach for my heaviest of heavy duty concealers. This literally hides EVERYTHING.

L'Oreal High Intensity Pigment cream liner in black - apologies but I bought this online and am not sure you can actually buy this in the shops in Aus or the UK??? If you can track this down then please purchase immediately if you're a fan of the gel eyeliners that are doing the rounds. This is a lot softer and doesn't dry out as quick as I've found most gels to. 

Bourjois Healthy Mix serum foundation - not too much explanation needed here. I. Love. This. Holy grail foundation, just needs a bit of powder and it lasts all day, doesn't look heavy on the skin, doesn't show dry patches, and doesn't slip or slide. Perfection. 

Barry M lipstick in shade 147 - erring on the peachy side of a peachy pink, I've worn this over lip balm, slightly patted out for a subtle look.

Anatomicals Help The Paw hand cream - a bargain of a hand cream for such a big tube, this is my go-to last thing at night hand cream. Smells lovely!

Reading in general - Some of my favourites have been Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, and The Case of the Missing Boyfriend by Nick Alexander. Currently reading Revenge Wears Prada and loving it!

Raspberry Liquorice - I've been going through a couple of bags a week of this, so tasty and really keeps my sugar cravings at bay!

What's everyone else been loving this month?

Loves

xxx

June favourites...

Urban Decay naked basics

Makeover Essentials bronzing face powder (read my review here)

Benefit Fake Up concealer

VO5 dry texturising spray (read my review here)

Bioderma (erm WOW how have I only just purchased this little beauty??!!)

Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm (probably the only lip balm I'll ever buy ever again)

VO5 miracle oil concentrate hair oil

Benefit Porefessional (I desperately need a new tube of this I'm squeezing the very last bit out now!)

Rimmel Apocolips in Stellar

Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner

What has everyone else been loving this month?

Loves

xxx

Back to England just in time for a Bank Holiday....

You call this summer? While most of England is making the most of the bright orange thing in the sky peeking through the clouds, I'm rugged up in leggings boots and jumpers still. I'm definitely not in Australia anymore!

So I got back four days ago, and have managed to go shopping, then go shopping, go shopping again, and drink a fair amount of vodka with the girls. I also squeezed in a Harvester, a Nando's, a Starbucks and two Costa's. Clearly got my priorities right. 

Dress: Primark

Jacket: Topshop

Bag: Australia market

Belt: New Look (one of my new buys)

Hair: natural if you can believe it!

Just one of my mini hauls from the past few days, I popped into Boots to use up some of the points Mum had accumulated over the past 12 months, and was clearly craving eyelashes! Got to love 3 for 2. Also picked up the Bumble and Bumble texturising (un)dressing cream, Soap and Glory Flake Away (hello holy grail product and oh how I have missed you), a new Barry M lippy, the final Rimmel Apocolips for my collection in Luna, a Rimmel Scandalise eye crayon, Seche Vite, and finally Benefit Fake Up which I can honestly say is INcredible.

Then of course there was the obligatory reunion night out in the home town - 

Top: Supre (Australian)

Bracelets: ASOS

Heels: Step In Style

So this is officially me saying HI I'm back. And seeing as I'm going to Birmingham shopping (again) tomorrow, I'll see you next time with a haul!

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

Top products of 2011....

Well as my blog is still a baby and less than a year old, I've spent a lot of the past 10 months discovering lots of new things so here's what I recon come top of the 2011 class (warning: it's a biggie!)


Haircare: KMS California came in one of this years Glossybox's and has turned into my go-to product for putting through the ends of my (towel dried) hair to not only help protect it from heated appliances but to help lock in colour. Batiste XXL Volume needs no other introduction other than to say I LOVE this and were I to (painstakingly) put the entire contents of this blog into some sort of order, it would probably come out top! And lastly my good old tangle teezer: not just a normal hair brush!

Skincare: This moisturiser has been one of my products of the last few years but I'm still in a long term relationship with it therefore I though I'd better include it. No other moisturiser has touched my skin for the past 12 months. The Body Shop night cream has been a revelation after switching from an all purpose moisturiser to a separate one for day and night. Oh and as for a little extra in my skin care - Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It. I challenge you to find a better drug store exfoliater! 

Makeup: I'll try and keep this simple as there are SO many. For face it has to be the Benefit Porefessional along with the Revlon Photo Ready foundation, my bobby brown corrector and the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. I've loved Topshops bronzer in global for most of the year, and been blushing with the aid of Vivo blush (not sure on the colour) and MeMeMe in coral throughout the summer months. My favourite eye products of the year have to be HD brows thanks (again) to GlossyBox, Bourjois Volumizer mascara and the Maybelline gel eyeliner pot. Lips is a tough one but it has to be the Lush lip scrub which has been a life saver, along with my Mac lipstick in Saint Germain and Topshop lipstick in Brighton Rock. I've only just started getting into brushes, but my favourite are the stippling brush and powder brush from the Samantha Chapman Real Techniques range, and my Mac 217. 

Perfume: My signature scent has continued to be Burberry, but I'd say my ultimate perfume of the year has to be D&G 10. 

What has everyone else loved in the year of 2011? Have any of these products made your top lists?

Loves

xxx

Top 10 Lip Products....

I've been meaning to do this for AGES and finally got around to it. I've got quite a nice week actually, lots of free time to catch up on my blog and youtube, so hopefully get an early August favourites up before my busy weekend then holiday!

Anyway I hope you enjoy this one, I've not done swatches separately on here because they actually showed up quite true to life on the video, and I'm sure you've seen a lot of them before anyway.

Does anyone agree with any of my favourites? I love so many it was hard to pick!


On a separate note, I just want to take a minute to mention something totally unrelated to my blog. Two guys I know are off to Afgan tomorrow, an ex boyfriend on his first tour with the Army, and one of my good friends is off on his third tour in Afgan with the Royal Marines, so just taking a minute to wish them both good luck and I hope they stay safe. 'Luckily' my friend in the Marines is only out until the end of October hopefully, so I'll see you home safe and sound in a couple of months pal :)

Loves

xxx

Pretty little things.....

I've treated myself A LOT just recently I won't lie. First of all I did my first ever Elf order.

I know I'm a bit slow on the uptake for this one but I was always a bit unsure because it's so cheap, however I needed a couple of makeup brushes and I'd seen a lot of people say how good they are. I got a couple but I'll be honest I don't think much to them, and you're all fed up of hearing about them by now I'm sure. I did get two lovely treats in my delivery though.....

I apologise for all of the swatches on this post, I had to do them when I came in earlier in the bathroom with no natural light. This is the duo eye shadow cream in gorgeous brown tones. I'm never a huge fan of cream eyeshadows as I think they crease but this is amazing. Literally! The pale cream on itself is so nice right over the eyelid, and the dark one is quite nice to line the eye if I don't fancy a harsh black.

This is the new Pigment Eyeshadow in black, and it is amazing. I need to put a base on before I apply it (Benefit Lemonaid) but stays on all day, and the applicator is really tiny but great! I'll get some pictures of these on at some point but I've really not had time!

I also went on the hunt the other day for a lip scrub, after my love affair with the Bodyshop scrub died a slow painful death when I think I suddenly became allergic to it (well I think I did, it made my lips all flakey and red). I've heard this mentioned once or twice, and I may have to go and buy it in all three flavours. I went for chocolate and vanilla....

Lush Sweet Lips lip scrub is literally a miracle product, and the pot is so big it is going to last me ages!! 

Now to the fun part, I went to a charity pamper night for my mums friends charity walk in Cambodia, I don't know what the website is for it yet but I'm definitely going to find out what it is and get it on here, everyone needs to take a look because it's such a good cause!! The pamper night was great, I didn't have anything done but I got the number for a lady who does home visits to do coloured gel nail overlays which I am certainly going to get done asap!! Mainly because my nail varnish chips within minutes at the moment! So So annoying!

I did spend a fair bit though (and won some insanely amazing cupcakes which are nearly all gone!) mainly on benefit cosmetics, which were being sold pretty cheap! It was 2 items for £20, or £15 for the gift sets like the brow set and smokey eye pallet. I won't go through most of the things I bought from there because most of it was replenishing old things that were running out and if I decide to start on youtube videos I'll do a post on my makeup essentials that will have them in it. The one thing I did buy is this little beauty...

Again sorry about the swatches. This claims to cover pores and act as a base under foundation. It's actually great as a very pale foundation or concealer, except it's just a little tiny bit to pale for me. It stops my shiny forehead which is always a bonus, and isn't too heavy on my skin. It makes my foundation go on so smoothly but I'd definitely recommend putting a thin layer of moisturiser on and letting it dry before you slap the makeup on. As with all benefit makeup, you get a lovely set of instructions which always make me smile :)

Finally, I spotted a bargain tan while I was there, for only £2. I have to say, except St Tropez, it is the BEST tan of this sort I have ever used. No smell at all, doesn't come off on clothes or sheets, and even though it's colourless (it comes out like hair mouse which was confusing to start with) it doesn't streak at all. It's a very natural colour and does look good over a layer of garnier summer body. 

I don't know where else you can buy this from, if anyone has seen it in shops then PLEASE let me know. Also, I forgot to do a before and after but if anyone wants to see what the colours like then just let me know and I'll do a swatch.

Now for a quick outfit post from today....

The makeup picture is awful sorry. Anyway skirt, shoes, vest, all jewellery and belt are from Primark. Cardigan and blazer are H&M. 

Makeup isn't really worth it becuase the picture is rubbish but... 

Foundation is Mac full coverage

mascara is Collection 2000 false lash effect

Lipstick in Dreamy from 17

Blusher is W7 in bright pink

eyeliner is Mac and my favourite product I've ever used.

Anyway that was a bit or a mess sorry about that. I need to take a bit more care over my pictures and not rush things.....