Melbourne Haul :: Part 1

Hello! I'm back from Melbourne. I had a great time, and the Miley concert was great (review to come).

It was great seeing my friend again, we had heaps of fun shopping, going out to eat etc. (Most of my photos are of food at restaurants!)

Of course a lot of shopping was done, so here are some things I got (all $ is Australian):

It wasn't actually until I was editing this photo that I realised it was scented! I applied it yesterday, and when I realised it was scented and smelt it, it still has a cotton candy scent.

This cost me $5 (very cheap considering they're $20ish here). I don't like the application of this, and probably won't use it very often. but I didn't use a base coat like I normally do, which may have made a difference.

This lipgloss is from Sports girl. It's a pretty colour and I like it, but it has absolutely no staying power. Within 15 minutes it was gone. I also don't think there is a lot of product in the tube. $9.

My Mariah Carey perfume is almost run out, so it was time to get a new one. My mum told me to try out Flower Princess, as she thought I would like it, but I looked at Duty Free in Christchurch, and the tester had smashed in one of the earthquakes we had recently. I couldn't find it anywhere else!

I found a cheap perfume/makeup shop in Melbourne and got Avril Lavigne's 'Black Star' for $30 (may have been $40).

I've been looking for a blue eyeliner for a long time. Every one I test out is really subtle, I was looking for bright. Finally I found it! This GOSH eyeliner goes on so well! Review to come. $15

I bought a perfume, so got this atomiser for $5. I have no idea how to use it. Anyone? She said I spray the perfume into it. But I must have to spray a lot in there to be able to use it? May have to google it!

I finally got Maybelline 'falsies' mascara! $12 at Victoria Markets. I really love the length and volume this mascara gives, but find it is easily smudged.

We don't have NYX here, which is sad, and I think we should. I bought this palette for $16.

The colours are nicely pigmented! (Note: I don't have scaly skin, it's goosebumps haha). Looking forward to doing an EOTD with these colours!

There was a bargain bin at David Jones and I got some more BareMinerals powder foundation, as my starter kit ones were running out. Forgot how much I love this stuff! $29.50

I went to Melbourne airport quite early so I could spend the last of my money on duty free stuff. I was excited to find MAC there. I ended up getting a lipstick and an eyeshadow.

I was deciding between Snob and Angel. In the end I went with Angel, but now I wish I had gotten Snob! Still a nice colour though. $29

I've been looking for a bright purple eyeshadow for so long. I found a nice one at MAC, but they didn't have any left. Then I found this one, a mineral eyeshadow called 'Odd Couple'. I don't know if I'll use the gold, but I love the purple. It was $32, but I got it for $25.

Wearing Odd Couple and Angel. So sunny yesterday!

Clothes haul (didn't buy too much) to come tomorrow.

Any good blog posts you're read in the last 5 days, that I've missed (even if it's yours!) I feel like I've been away for so long!

Beauty Review :: Natio Smooth Eyeliner in Black

I've been looking for a new eyeliner for a while now, I've been using Australis for years. I like it, but sometimes it feels like it's too runny. When I first started buying it, it cost around $11 NZD, now it's $17.50 NZD!

Last weekend there was a sale on at Farmer's, so I bought the Natio smooth eyeliner in black for $16.50 down from $20.

I like Natio's products. I use the mineral liquid foundation most days. However, I have used their mineral foundation pwder which was far too glittery and shiny.

I had high hopes for this eyeliner, unfortunately, I have not found my new favourite eyeliner. For the top lash line/eyelid it applies fine. The only problem I have is on the lower lash line is looks a bit clumpy and doesnt apply smoothly (despite it's name). It's also hard to smudge/blend.

The good points about this eyeliner is that it's much longer than the Australis one, meaining it will last longer. I also find I don't need to sharpen it as much. It stays on better without running/getting clumps in the inner corner of my eye (so annoying!).

I prefer eyeliner pencils than retractable/liquid eyeliner. Do you have any recommendations for me to try next time? What do you think of Natio products?

Beauty Review :: Schwarzkopf Perfect Mousse - Chocolate Brown

A while ago I decided I will only get my hair done at the hairdressers from now on. Fail. It's just so much easier and cheaper to do it at home (provided you're dying it the same colour or darker).

I'd seen a lot of advertising about the new mousse hairdyes, and decided to try it out.

It was just a few shades darker than my hair was already. Normally I get mum to dye my hair at home, because I have trouble getting it all covered. I attempted this by myself, and I'm pleased to say it was easy! It lathers really well and there's so much product that it's easy to cover, and although it said you should use all the product for best results I just couldn't! My hair is considered long, so enough product for really long hair!

I let it sit for 30 minutes then washed it out in the shower. It didn't splash all over the shower walls like usual, I'm not sure if this is because it's a mousse formula, but I assume so.

The conditioner was nice, but I've had better ones, this one didn't have a nice smell or anything special.

I love the colour, but it didn't leave my hair in as good condition as other products I have tried. It was a much easier application though, and it gets top points for that.

Overall: 

Have you tried mousse hair dyes? What did you think?

Mini Beauty Review :: Innoxa Sugar Frosted Lipstick

I recently discovered that The Warehouse carries the Innoxa brand of cosmetics. (Slightly strange for The Warehouse, they are kind of equivalent with Walmart I think).

I already had an Innoxa lipstick which mum bought for me in Sydney (and said it was much more expensive there than it is here). The lipstick she got me was also broken. You can read my review here.

The colour I picked up was 'Sugar Frosted' is a nice baby pink. I love pale lipsticks more than brights.

I love the packaging of the Innoxa brand. It doesn't feel cheap, and it's very pretty.

Top: window lighting, Bottom: Indoor lighting

I love this colour, and think I will get a lot of use out of it. It looks best with a clear gloss overtop, and it's quite important to apply a lipbalm before hand. I think $20 is an okay price. I will probably try another shade, and more products from the Innoxa range.

Have you used Innoxa products? What do you think of the brand?

Beauty Review :: i.d Well Cared For Brush Conditioning Cleanser

i.d Well Cared For Brush Conditioning Cleanser - Bare Minerals

I've had this Brush Conditioning Cleanser for a while now. I had never used a brush cleanser before, so I haven't had any previous experience with them.

I always wanted to buy one, but the reason I did end up buying it was because I had a bad experience cleaning brushes with shampoo.

I watched some youtube videos that said you could do it with shampoo. Bad Idea.

My face broke out, really bad. It was horrible. As soon as I used the new brush cleanser my skin cleared. Phew.

As you can see it's a pretty big bottle (120ml), and I think it will last quite a while. I wash my eyeshadow brush every second day. And my face brushes not as often as I should!

You don't need to use a lot of product at all.

I love the smooth, simple packaging!

The directions are to put it on a damp brush. I rarely do this and it still does the job. I apply it onto a dry brush, then run it under water while massaging it out of the brush. I face the brush done, towards the plug, because otherwise it can damage bristles.

I then towel dry (squeeze) the excess water from the brushes, shape them a little, and leave them for a day to dry.

I haven't noticed any extra fallout or anything from the brushes.

The best thing about this product? The brushes are so soft after being washed! They feel (for lack of a better word) fresh! I love putting on my powder foundation/blushes with these brushes after cleansing them. It's amazing.

I think I paid about $25NZD for this product. And considering how much product you get and how long it will last I think it's well worth it!

Overall:  

 

Are there any brush cleansers you swear by?

Long Weekend Shopping Haul :: June 2011

On Saturday my mum and I went shopping. We don't go clothes shopping very often, and always complain about how we have nothing to wear to work.

We went to Northlands (I think I've been there once in the last 5 years), but it's one of the only shopping malls open in Christchurch at the moment! We usually go to Westfield, so we decided to try somewhere different.

I walked around half the mall thinking, 'why can I not buy anything? I think I'm allergic to shopping'. Well that jinxed it, I then went on to spend $350. ($40 of that was going halves with an exercise class card with mum).

So here is what I got:

First of all just a couple of makeup things:

Nail Polishes: $2 each from the 1 to $8 shop.

BYS Summer Storm Palette: $8 from Glassons

BYS Mega Shine Coffee Lipgloss: $8 from Glassons

I did a little NOTD with the nail polishes. I love the gold one, and what a bargain for $2! I applied 2 coats of each. My only problem is it took a long time to dry, and a couple of my nails are a bit smudged. 2-3 days later and it's barely chipped though! I would probably get some more shades.

This is a swatch for the Coffee BYS Mega Shine lipgloss.

It looks pretty in the swatch....not so much on my lips. I doubt I will use this much. It's just not a 'natural' looking colours. Looks a bit muddy.

My only disappointing purchase of the day.

Here are swatches for the BYS #7 Summer Storm palette.

I basically bought it for the purple colour. Which is lucky, because this palette is not very pigmented at all.

I did an EOTD with it yesterday, using all three colours, and only the purple was visible, no matter how much I put on.

I will definitely use the purple, but the others not so much.





Onto clothes!

I bought this dress from TEMT. It was $40. It looks nicer on than off.

I bought two skivvys for work. They were $16 each. Great for winter. I have always hated tops like this, but I really liked it when I tried it on!

I bought these 2 pairs of skinny jeans (but the comfy stretchy material) from Glassons for $30 each. One pair is black, the other a dark purple. It's a bit hard to tell in the photo.

Lastly...shoes!

I've been looking for these boots for over a year. Finally I found them! So comfy, I will live in them all winter for sure. $50 from the Number 1 Shoe Warehouse.

Ankle boots from Farmers. These were $70 down to $49. I also got some underwear from Farmers, because most of it was half price. Farmers always have sales now. There was also 15% off OPI. I walked away before I could look! I should have got some eyeliner, but decided to wait.

My mum and I finished off the day by going out for tea. We went to The Running Bull. It was great! Definitely going to go again. Mum had a chicken burger and I had a BLAT. 6/10 restaurants in Christhurch now! 4 to go.

So there we go, $350 less, and going on holiday in 2 weeks. Oooops.

Did you buy anything exciting this weekend?

Book Review :: Kardashian Konfidential

For my book for May I bought Kardashian Konfidential. I am a big fan of the Kardashian sisters, and love their tv programmes. They're definitely fashion idols.

I bought this book for $20 on MightyApe, because I had a $10 voucher.

Kardashian Konfidential is a book for all fans of those famous sisters.

It's not a very well written book, and it gets quite repetitive at times, but it gives you a more in-depth look of their lives, as well as tips from them along the way.

There are a lot of great photos in the book to be inspired by.

I think the Kardashian's could have made some of it a little more relatable. For example they had a lot of tips on being a celebrity. What I'm really interested in is their 'normal' lives.

It's definitely a must-have for all fans, and I'm glad I have it. It's a very well presented book.

I love the way they ended it (not really a spoiler, but maybe) with a letter to their two younger sisters, Kendall and Kylie. I think that's a perfect ending to it, and possibly my favourite part of the book.

Are you fan of the Kardashians? Have you read this book?

I think my book for May is going to be The Power. I need to get into more visualisation again! I owe an amazing year last year to The Secret!