Priceline Haul: Maybelline 50% Sale

As some of you may have seen in Priceline's "Famous Brands" catalogue, Maybelline is having 50% their whole range.

I decided to pick up a few items since I was quite impressed with the ones I bought in my previous Maybelline hauls.

• I bought a back up of the Master Precise liquid liner - absolutely love this eyeliner!
• The Fit Me! range. I've heard good things about these so I thought I'd finally try it
• Superstay Foundation - I tried this years ago when it first came out, I liked it but didn't have the right shade. Loving  this one so far!
• Color Tattoo Metal in Inked Pink (You all know how much I like my colour tattoos)
• Eyestudio Quad in Copper Chic. Love the colours and pigmentation of this.

The sale is on until Monday 26th August if anyone wants to pick up a few items too! :)

Ebay 11 piece Synthetic Makeup Brush Set

Last month, I purchased a brush set from eBay. I was looking for some eyeshadow brushes, but I didn't want to spend a whole lot on them. I came across this set. They remind me of the Sigmax brushes & for 11 brushes, it only cost me $12.50. I wasn't expecting too much from them being so affordable.

I was so surprised when I received them, they are so soft! Comparable, or even softer then the Sigma & Real Techniques brushes.

They came in a calico bag

Each brush was individually wrapped in plastic

Eye Brushes:  Fair large dome brush.. which is kind of too big for your eyes & to small to use on your face. If anything, it would be good to use for undereye concealer, or to set it.

Blending brush

Angled Shadow Brush

Pencil Brush

Concealer Brush

Angled Liner Brush

You get 5 face brushes;

Short Handled Flat Top Kabuki

Short Handled Powder Brush

Blush Brush

Foundation Brush

Mini Handled Flat Top Kabuki Brush

Overall, I am very impressed with how soft these brushes are. Definitely a bargain, yet pretty decent quality!

The flat top brushes are a good dupe for the Sigma F80, What I also like is that the handles are short which make it easy to pop in your handbag.

If you are interested in purchasing these brushes, just type in "11 piece brush set" into the search bar on eBay. If you can't find them, let me know & I will give you the link :)

July Favourites ♥

I'm going to keep this months favourites fairly short as I've been using mainly the same items featured in my other monthly favourites. I have however, tried new things this month that I absolutely loved!

• Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation
  My favourite foundation at the moment! I won't say too much about it as I have a review here. It has basically been by go to foundation because I don't have to worry about it as the day goes on. It stays right in place!
  
• Lush Cupcake Mask
  I have been wanting to try this for the longest time. It's always sold out & this month I finally tried it. I love it more as a pampering mask then a treatment mask. It makes your skin feel amazing & smells delicious too!
  
• Rimmel Apocalips
  Nothing much to say but, yep, I love them! I love the colour pay off & staying power! I currently own 7 and I will be doing a review & swatch on these soon.
  
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Metal - Barely Branded
  This has been my go to base colour. I love the Color Tattoos & I'm glad they brought out a nude one that I can use at any time, by itself and as a base.
  
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
  I picked this one up after falling inlove with the other Real Techniques brushes. I like how this one is so dense but soft so it gives a flawless coverage while blending the foundation at the same time. I also like it's shape. Since it's kind of thin/flat, I'm able to get right under my eyes & beside my nose.

I'm always looking at trying new things, so if you have any recommendations, let me know :)

My Makeup Collection

This is where I store my makeup/hair/beauty items. The brown shelf is a 4 tier bookcase that I got from Sams Warehouse. I have black baskets in there to help hold and organize all my items. My acrylic makeup storage is from www.themakeupboxshop.com.au. I've always wanted to own one of these & this year I got one. I absolutely love it.

The top compartment actually has a flip top lid on it, I just can't close it because of my palettes.

In this section I have my 3 BH cosmetic eyeshadow palettes, primers, concealers & lash glue. Very easy to just grab and put back whenever I need them.

2nd Draw - MAC Powders, Blush & Bronzer, Napoleon Bronzer & Blush, ELF Blushes & also Milani.

3rd Draw - Maybelline Color Tattoos, Gel Liners, Essence stay all day cream eyeshadows & single shadows, MAC eyeshadows, Naked Palette, Nars "And God created the women" Palette.

4th Draw - Lip Products

Rimmel Apocalips, Revlon Lip Butters & Colorburst Lipsticks, Savvy Matte Lipsticks, Baby Lips etc.

I most likely have more hiding in my handbag... of course.

5th Draw - Single Shadows, Shadow Quads & ELF Compacts

6th Draw - Miscellaneous Products

Back Ups, Mineral Foundations, Eyebrow Products, Powders, Hand Sanitizers, Lip Products, Eyelashes, Too Faced Smokey Palette

On the side of my makeup container, I have my MAC lipsticks & also in the pencil holder I keep all my lip liners, eyeliners, mascaras, brow pencils & eyeshadow primers in there to keep them together & organized.

On the first shelf, I keep all my Foundations, Skin Care items, Makeup removers etc.

I hope you enjoyed this post, This wasn't to show off or anything. I know I have a lot but definitely not as much as a lot of people on YouTube etc. I have a comfortable & manageable amount that's not going to go to waste so I'm happy with that. I do definitely buy more then what I need, but what can you do when you've studied Beauty Therapy & become addicted to Makeup? Haha.

If you see anything you want me to do a post on, just let me know :)

Review: Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Golden Tan 857

I was so excited when I heard that the highly raved about, Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation, was available in Australia, and better yet, available in my shade! This never happens. I'm a MAC NC40-42 & I can never find a drugstore foundation in Australia that matches me. Not even Revlon Colorstay. So of course, even though I didn't really need it, I picked it up anyway.

What Covergirl describes it as: All-in-one foundation with a long-lasting formula that fuses primer, concealer, and foundation in one easy step! The 3-in-1 formula provides a flawless look that lasts all day long.

 Just like every other beauty product I'm looking at trying, I read and watch many reviews before I go ahead and buy it. The 2 things that really got me to decide that I wanted it was 1. The colour apparently matched my skin tone really well and 2. Everyone was saying how amazing it was.

Let me start by telling you how my skin usually is when I wear foundation in general.
I have very oily skin, particularly around the nose. I use an oil free mattifying primer before & a translucent powder after to set the foundation. Within 2 hours my T-zone will already start to get oily & by the afternoon when I look closely in the mirror, I can see that my foundation has kind of melted off.

The first time I used this, I applied this foundation without a primer & without a setting powder so I could really see how it held up. (I was going out to dinner later that evening so I brought a powder just in case).

Application: It was really easy to work with and blend. I didn't use any concealer cause I wanted to see the coverage. I have dark acne scars on my cheeks so I did 2 layers to get a fairly full coverage. Even though I applied 2 layers, it wasn't cakey at all!

Finish: I loved the finish of it. It was fairly matte, but not so matte that I looked dull and flat. It looked quite natural & the colour was really good. I find it really hard to find a foundation that isn't too yellow, too pink or too orange. Thumbs up to that.

How it held up: Remeber how I said I was going out to dinner that first time? This is where it really sold me - I went to a Korean BBQ for dinner so you know, it was quite hot & steamy & I was worried that my face had melted off. I got out of the restaurant & look in the mirror and the foundation had not budged at all. Wow! If it was my colorstay or sheer glow foundation it definitely would have happened. After wearing it for a good 6 hours, I got home looking just like I did when I left!

I'll have to see how this holds up when Summer comes though, but for now, I am loving it!

What I like about it:

• Easy to blend and apply
• Not cakey
• Great coverage
• Doesn't slide of my oily face
• Great price rrp $19.95, I got mine on sale for $15 from Priceline
• Great staying powder
• Nice, Matte finish
• The foundation has a pump!
• Yellow undertone that isn't too yellow like MAC
• You don't need to prime or set with a powder

What I don't like about it:

I can't really think about what I don't like really. The colour range is quite small. I believe we only have 6 shades available, Golden Tan being the darkest **thank you for bringing this shade to Australia** Anyone with really light skin or anyone with a deeper skin tone may have trouble finding a shade.

I'm not really a big fan of the packaging. Looks kind of cheap (not a big deal) but again, the pump really helps.

Would I recommend this: Of course! I am loving it so far & if you have oily skin like me, This may impress you too!

Well done Covergirl, I've never really been attracted to the brand in the past, the only other thing I've tried was a mascara, but you have definitely won me over with this foundation!

I hope this review was helpful. Let me know if you would like photo of it on, but I figured everyone has different skin tones & skin types so I wasn't too sure if it'd make it anymore helpful. I tried to do a comparison between my other foundation shades but the photos were just not working out.

I'm so happy that I have finally found the perfect everyday foundation!

Let me know of what you think about this foundation.

Beauty Blog Tag - Get to know me :)

Lately I have been at my parents house & so I don't have access to my camera or beauty collection. I didn't want to completely be away from my blog for a long time so I thought I'd look for a fun Beauty Blog Tag to do!

1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?

Straight. It used to be dead straight until I kept dying it etc. Now it has more of a natural wave to it.

2. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?

Both. Well, If it's done at home I get my sister to do it because I don't trust myself. If I want to go darker, I get it done at home. If I want it lighter or a more visible change then the Salon it is.

3. Do you wear the same style everyday, or do you change it?

I usually just straighten it if I'm going out, If I'm at home I'll leave it. I do like it when it's curled but I rarely do that cause when I do, it takes ages to do (long and thick hair) & by the time I'm onto the next layer of curling, the first layer has already gone back to being straight. **sigh**

4. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?

I do it myself for the post part. I studied Beauty Therapy & have all the tools and products I need as well as a large amount of Nail Polish. On the odd occassion, I will treat myself to a Spa Pedicure at the Salon. Just something nice to treat yourself with :)

5. How often do you change your nail polish?

I go through phases, sometimes I'll go like 2 months straight of wearing nail polish, changing it every 5 days or so... then other times I can go a couple of months with bare nails. Weird right?

6. Do you polish your toes in the winter or just the summer?

When I can be bothered. It's winter now, and they aren't done. Haha. (shhh I've been lazy)

7. How long does it take for you to put on makeup?

I allow myself about 30 minutes to do makeup if I'm going somewhere special or if it was to work or just anywhere that I need to look decent. But at the same time, When I'm rushed... I can do a full face in 10 minutes. Haha, I guess I just like having extra time to perfect things.

8. What do you do first? Face or eyes?

I've always done the face first. When I did makeup in my beauty course, We would always do the eyes first though. I always tell myself I'll try switch it around but I never do. At the same time, It gives me that extra time to think about what I want to do.

9. Do you collect makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?

I used to be bad and collect makeup that I'd never use. I still kind of 'collect' it, but to an extent. I'll but more then what I need but at the same time they're things that I will use. At the moment I'm trying to use as much as possible before buying more again. I'm a Beauty Addict. I like to try new things!

10. How often do you wear false eyelashes?

Hardly Ever! I love them but I just don't have time most times and it's a hit or miss with me, with applying them. Sometimes I can get them on straight away and they look amazing, other times it will take me ages to the point where I've ruined my makeup. Haha. I certainly just need to practice!

11. Do you do a full face of makeup everyday?

No. These days I hardly where makeup (I'm not working at the moment) & it's nice to just let my skin breathe. If I know I'm just going to be at home all day I don't bother. Even if I end up going to the shops quickly I'm fine with not wearing makeup even though I have imperfect skin. I've learnt to accept that. Having said that, I feel weird if I leave the house without any eyeliner on my waterline!

12. Do you wear makeup when you're home alone or with family?

Oops, answered this above. No I don't. Unless it's a birthday or a special occassion, it's nice to look better especially when you know that there will be photos!

13. Will you leave the house without makeup?

Answered this too. Yes I will leave the house without makeup. At the least I will put eyeliner on my waterline. It depends where I am going. If it's a quick shopping trip nearby, then I don't really care.

14. How many high-end products do you have?

It depends what's considered high-end? I do own quite a bit of MAC, Nars, Napoleon & a bit of Bobbi Brown etc. Yes they're quite pricey but the main reason why I started buying them is 1. I can never find drugstore foundations dark enough 2. I really do like the quality of the products 3. I was working full time & had access to buying my make-up in the US so it was totally worth it.

15. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you're getting dressed?

I mostly try and plan what I wear. But even still, I end up getting dressed 3 times that morning. Haha. so Indecisive.

16. How often do you change your handbag?

I've always been a handbag addict so I try & rotate when I can to get use out of my bags. It all really depends on where I'm going & what the weather is like etc.

17. What time do you wake up and go to sleep?

These days I can't sleep any earlier then 1am, then it takes me ages to fall asleep after that too, because of that, I've been waking up fairly late.

18. How often or when do you workout?

I don't! :/ I need to though. Last year I lost a bit of weight due to being sick & since I was so active at work I kept losing more and kept it off. Now that I'm not working, that weight is catching back up to me. It's so hard to get motivated in the winter! (excuses, excuses!)

19. Left handed or right handed?

Right

20. How tall are you?

tall? I'm 158cms. Maybe even shorter, haha.

21. Do you speak any foreign languages?

I can understand Tagalog & can talk back... well more fluently "type" but when it comes to my accent, I've kinda lost it :(

22. How many pets do you have?

2 Doggies!

23. How often are you on Blogger?

I used to be on here a lot, but then I'd spend so much time on here and 'forget' to study. I check it daily but I'm not necessarily active on it.

24. Do you read comments posted on blogs?

On mine (the very few I have) yes. Sometimes on others if I'm trying to find out about a product.

25. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?

Yeah in my head. Mostly on YouTube though. I blame YouTube for my addiction!

26. How did you come up with your blog name?

It took me sooooo long to figure out a name that wasn't already take. I like Fashion & I like Beauty, so the name worked.

27. What kind of camera do you use for your photographs?

Canon Rebel T3i/ 600D

28. How often do you clean your house?

When it gets messy/dusty.

29. What's your favorite color?

Purple has always been a favourite. But I do like many colours!

Well that was fun! I guess it was like a get to know me as well!

Hope you are all having a fantastic day! 

xx

Beauty Haul: Priceline, MAC, NARS

Hey guys, I know I've been MIA for a while, but I'm here with a quick collective haul. I'll just go through them quickly as I plan on doing separate posts on these items!

As most of us know by now, Australia has the Rimmel Apocalips now. I purchased mine from Priceline for $8 in the Colours, Nude Eclipse, Apocalyptic & Stellar. I also purchased the mini makeup bag for only $4.50. It's a perfect size when I want to bring make-up around with me. I usually just bring my LV cosmetic pouch with a compact & lip products etc. But this allows me to bring more.

We also now have the Color Tattoo Metals here in Australia ($11.95), but I purchased mine from America for a very good deal. I bought Silver Lining & Barely Branded... I bought other items too, but unfortunately, USPS damaged my package & they fell out... Which brings me to what I had bought this morning...

So the items that USPS had lost/damaged were Nars Sheer Glow in Barcelona & a Loreal True Match Powder, which unfortunately I couldn't buy here. I obviously bought them cause I needed them & I literally ran out of my foundation yesterday. I was so upset that my boyfriend kindly bought me a new foundation & powder foundation to replace my missing ones.

Nars Sheer Glow - Barcelona from Mecca Cosmetica ($68) </3 Ugh...

MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation - NC42 ($47).

NC42 is a touch too dark/yellow for my face now that it's winter but NC40 would be a little bit too pale, & I mainly wanted it to give colour to my face when I wear my BB cream & lighter foundations.

So that's it for my haul, I will be doing a separate post for the Apocalips & Color Tattoos, so watch out for those. Let me know if you have tried any of these, and what you think of them!

June Favourites

Wow! I cannot believe that we are already half way through 2013! Time is flying by so fast!

Time for another favourites post!

These are the items that I am constantly reaching for this month. Some of these items are fairly new & some of them are ones that I am re-discovering my love for.

**Photos coming soon**

ELF Candid Coral Blush
This was hidden at the back of my makeup drawers so I thought I'd try it again. I don't know why I've been ignoring these. ELF is the brand that got me hooked onto makeup & it's so under rated now. This blush is just so pretty and really pigmented! It gives me that nice glow on days where I'm feeling really dull.

MAC Prim & Proper Blush
This blush came out in the Liberty of London collection in 2010. It's a nice mauve/plum colour so it's great for the winter. I think that's why I have been paying more attention to it. It goes well with my NC42 skin tone.

MAC Prolong Wear Concealer in NC35
I stopped using this concealer for nearly a year or so. Well, I stopped using concealer in general. I've basically accepted that my skin is forever scarred so I got to the point where I just couldn't be bothered trying to cover every single dark spot. I recently started using this again for when I want a more full coverage. I apply it with the beauty blender so it covers so well yet doesn't feel like I'm even using it at all. I originally got this as an under eye concealer but now that it's winter. I like to use it before my foundation & it matches my skin perfectly.

MAC Prolong Wear Lip Creme - Til Tomorrow
This product is another victim of being abandoned. I absolutely love this colour! It's like a mauve/purple type nude lipstick. It is one of those ones where you can work with a bit of colour yet still not crazy enough to make you feel uncomfortable.

Revlon Lip Butter in Creme de Nude with Essence In the Nude Lip Liner
I have had Creme de Nude for a year now, tried it back then, hated it on my lips cause it was too light. After discovering the Essence lip liners I decided to try these to combinations together, putting In the Nude all over my lips. I was so impressed with the outcome. It makes it like the most wearable perfect nude for my lips.

Essence Get Big Lashes Mascara
This was also in my May Favourites but I have to say, I am loving this mascara more and more. If your HG Mascara is Maybelline's The Falsies, then you have got to try this one! It's really similiar but I find that this one doesn't make your lashes clump & it is super easy to remove.

Maybelline Color Tattoo - Bad to the Bronze
I am loving all of the color tattoos in general. I started with this colour though. If I can't be bothered doing a full eye of makeup I'll just sweep this over the entire lid and that's it. It's such a pretty colour. It can be used by itself, a base or sometimes I'll use this all over and use a darker colour on the outer corners. Very good for oily lids too.

Alpha-H Balancing Cleanser
I love all of Alpha-H's cleansers and products in general. Being an oily, problematic skin type, I mainly use the Triple Action Cleanser. This is a cream cleanser suited for anyone but mainly the normal-dry skins. Now that it's winter I have been using every day. It does a good job of cleansing my face while being a cream cleanser, it doesn't dry it out.

Alpha-H Liquid Gold
I don't know why it has taken me so long to try this! Love it. My skin responds best to Glycolic Acid which is why I use Alpha H. I use this by itself every second night, alternating with the Balancing cleanser. It makes my skin feel so soft in the morning as well as improving my overall skin tone. 

Beauty Blender
I am in LOVE with the Beauty Blender! You may have seen that I recently purchased this in my Cherry Culture Haul. It took me so long to finally purchase it and although I wish I had gotten it earlier, I'm glad I finally went ahead and bought it. This really did live up to the high expectations and raves and in fact, I love it more then I thought I would. I use it to apply my face concealer, under eye concealer and foundation. I love that this applies foundation so flawlessly yet, It barely feels like you're wearing any make-up & I don't use as much as I usually would. Highly recommend this!

BH Cosmetics Haul: 264 Color Steal - 88 Color Palettes

A couple of weeks ago I came across the BH Cosmetics website because I wanted to check out their eyeshadow palettes. I'm such a neutrals & brown shadow girl that I wanted some more colours in my collection, without having to pay so much for them. I always look at the site but never buy anything because I don't really need them, but I just couldn't past this deal up.

BH Cosmetics were having their Graduation Day Sale & within the sale they were offering a steal deal for a limited time only. This included 3 eyeshadow palettes which were the:

Each palette retails for around $19.95 & I got all 3 for only $25! It was something I knew I'd be getting my moneys worth. Shipping cost $12 to Australia & took less then 2 weeks to get here.

Palettes were securely wrapped to prevent any damage

All 3 palettes had a glossy finish to the packaging. 

                                  

I'll give you a quick run down on what I think of these palettes.

Tropical Shimmer Palette

Pretty nice & wearable colours overall, I wasn't too sure what to expect when I heard "tropical". I really quite like it. The colours are mostly bronzey type colours. I like how they brought in colours such as blues, greens & purple/pinks but have made them quite wearable as they are more toned down.

Matte Eyeshadow Palette

This was the palette I was looking forward to the most because I wanted some matte colours. Unfortunately, compared to the other 2 palettes, this was my least favourite. It was just like any other 88 palette that you can get off ebay. If you look at the photo below, a lot of photos a quite shimmery... this is Matte palette isn't it? That aside, nothing amazing, great bright colours overall.

88 Cool Shimmer Palette

Since I'm more of a "warm" makeup person, this cool shadow palette wasn't anything I was overly excited for. Surprisingly, this is probably my favourite of the 3. The colours are so pretty, especially the purples (my favourite colour). You get all those bright pretty colours, but since they are quite deep & shimmery, it will be pretty wearable. I also love the browns and plums they have included in this palette.

Overall I am happy with the palettes, especially for the price I got them for. I'm thinking I might do separate posts for each palette with close ups of the colours and maybe some swatches? Let me know what you think!

Cherry Culture Haul

Last month Cherry Culture had a 40% sitewide sale, even on their already reduced items. I was really good and only bought 3 things. Nothing too interesting but I thought I would share it with you anyway.

I have been wanting a Beauty Blender for the longest time, But I just couldn't justify spending that much on a sponge. I knew after trying a 'dupe' a couple of yrs ago that it just wasn't the same as the real deal. My sister also wanted to buy one so this was the best way to go. $28.95 for 2 plus 40% off.

The other two things I bought was the Milani Baked Blush in Coralina - I saw swatches of these and fell in love with it. I'm yet to try it but hopefully it's as good as I initially thought. I own only 1 other Milani blush in Dolce Pink but it's just too shimmery for my liking.

I also bought the NYX Collection Noir - Liquid Black Liner. I have never really worn liquid eyeliner since I'm not very good at it, but I've been wanting to practice. I think I bought this because at the time off the sale, LaurenBeauty posted a photo of instagram saying how good it was so I thought, why not?

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know what you think :)

Collective Winter Fashion Haul

Now that it's getting colder here in Australia, I have been buying some warmer fashion items throughout the past month or so. I love a good bargain, I personally don't like spending a lot of money on "seasonal" type clothing, unless it's a staple item like jeans or something. I'll show you what I have bought recently, so they should still be available!

Clothing:

Valleygirl has Knitwear for only $9.95 so I picked up these 2 oversized jumpers, since it's getting quite cold now. They both have the gunmental studs on the shoulders. The Navy blue one is really soft! I love them both as they keep me really warm and I like the studs on them.

The Black Jacket is also from Valleygirl and it was on sale for $14.95. I own a lot of Blazers & Cardigans so I thought I would buy something a little more casual.

The Love Potion oversized jumper is from Ebay. Very similar to the Wildfox ones but for a fraction of the price. I only paid $15 for this one.

Bags:

Can you believe that this bag was only $9.95??? I bought it from TEMT. The zips on the sides go all the way down to expand the bag. It's an open tote which features just one pocket inside. 

This is the same bag as I featured in my May Favourites. I decided to pick it up in this nice green, to give me a pop of subtle winter colour. This one was only $5 from Kmart. Such a bargain for a great bag.

Shoes:

I have been looking for boots for so long. I am really picky with my boots, I've been wanting just a plain black ankle style, with a low thick heel. Months later I came across this pair...

Guess how much I paid? Originally $39.95 got them for $5! What a steal! Bought them from Cotton On at the Harbour Town store. So happy with them!

The other week I also bought this pair from Kmart. Originally $25 but they marked them down to $19. They are a great style for casual wear. Really comfortable too!

I have also been looking for black flats that were good quality, nothing too flashy or tacky but for a great price. 2 of my most favourite black flats were sadly ruined by my puppy :(.

I was at Harbour Town & Novo Shoes had some on sale as well as 50% off the 2nd pair, so of course I grabbed 2. Still not exactly what I was looking for but I reallllyy like them! Both were $25 down from $49.95 and with the deal, I only paid $37.50.

I also bought a really soft infinity scarf from cotton on for $5 with my boots purchase in a really pretty magenta colour. I'll insert a photo once I get a good photo of it.

Let me know if there are any good fashion deals I should check out! :)