Product Rave! Bobbi Brown Corrector. Just Wow.

This is a huge rave, so in case you're wondering; this is not sponsored (I was not paid) and I bought this pot of joy with my own money. I just want you all to know how fantastic I think this product is!

If you have dark under eye circles, I encourage you to give Bobbi Brown Corrector a go. I had spent years trying every product imaginable to cover, and treat my dark circles, with varying levels of success. Some worked somewhat, others worked well, and some just didn't work at all. This Corrector works brilliantly! It's a little pricey at $40, but seriously worth every cent. The results are hands down the best I've ever experienced. With other makeup products I've tried (from concealers to brighteners and correctors) they have only at best partly hidden the problem. This Bobbi Brown baby nearly completely conceals the darkness. There is only a slight hint of faint darkness once my makeup is finished, depending on which concealer I choose to layer over the top of it. I'm hoping that with more sleep (as this is a huge deciding factor in the severity of my circles) and this product, I can appear complelely bright-eyed. I'll also be experimenting with different shades and types of concealers for over the top, to hopefully find the perfect one for me. But for now, I am extremely impressed with the improvement. I feel amazing because a normal under-eye appearance means I look years younger. I'd grown used to always looking tired, but no more! I have found my Holy Grail eye product for dark circles.

What Bobbi Brown say: "A wakeup call for tired eyes—this essential corrector brightens and covers discolouration under the eyes utilising a pink- or peach-based formula to neutralise undereye darkness. Waterproof, sweat and humidity-resistant, this long-wearing formula boasts a uniquely creamy-smooth texture for perfectly smooth coverage that’s easy to blend and won’t crease. Infused with skin conditioners to protect the delicate undereye area and available in 16 skin-tone-correct correcting shades (so everyone gets a match)."

The product itself is housed in a little round black plastic pot with a flip up lid and a mirror inside. You get 1.4g of product for $40.  It pays to get colour-matched so you know you're choosing the correct shade. I spoke to the Bobbi Brown consultant after swatching the shades on my hand and he instantly knew Porcelain Bisque was my colour, because I'm so damn pale. He was spot on! The consistency is thick yet easily blendable, giving high coverage and a smooth finish, providing a perfect base for concealer. I use my fingertip to apply this on the inner corners and right under my eye, covering any darkness, then gently tap it in. It's best to use your ring finger as this is the one with the lightest touch (thanks YouTube for that little nugget of information).  I then draw an upside-down triangle under my eyes with my concealer wand and blend (again, tapping) with my fingertips, and finish with a very light dusting of my Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder. I'm using far less concealer under my eyes since adding the Corrector to my routine, because I just don't need as much. I also find it's best to go easier on the powder under my eyes, compared to the rest of my face, so that it doesn't settle into any fine lines. The staying power is amazing; for me, at least, it won't budge all day.

I know what it's like to live with constant dark circles, and am so happy to have found an amazing product that counteracts the darkness so effectively. If your dark circles are the bane of your existence, this is the product I'd recommend.

Have you tried the Bobbi Brown Corrector? Did it work for you?

Disclaimer: This review is my honest opinion. I wasn't paid, this is not sponsored.

LUSH 2015 Mother's Day Range!

Part of the Lush 2015 Mother's Day range

I recently received a beautiful, bright purple flowery box from Lush containing a selection of products from their Mother's Day range! These products are Limited Edition; they are made just for Mother's Day and are available now to buy in-store and online until May 11th. And in case you haven't got around to Googling it, Mother's Day this year falls on Sunday 10th May! If you're a Lush Lover like me, you'll be keen to get in-store and smell everything new! They also have beautiful Gift Sets available if you want to spoil your Mum with multiple Lush goodies. Here are some of the lovely products on offer this year......

Yummy Mummy shower gel
My all-time favourite line of Lush products are their shower gels, closely followed by their soaps. They just make such beautifully fragranced shower gels, and Yummy Mummy is no exception. This gorgeous lilac-hued floral gel leaves me smelling like a fresh bouquet of flowers. There are tiny shimmering silver sparkles in there, too, making it extra special. I love the gel's thick consistency, and the addition of seaweed extract left my skin super-soft. If you love the smell of fresh flowers, you will definitely appreciate this bloomin' product!

Love You Mum soap
I love the deep red colour, however this mimosa, jasmine absolute and bergamot oil-scented product is not my favourite smelling soap. It gives a thick, pale pink lather which is definitely low on the bubble scale. I found this a bit awkward to hold at first, however after a bit of fiddling I found an advantage to the novel flower shape; if you hold the soap with the flat side against your palm, the petals actually give you a lovely, gentle massage as you soap your body! Or you can flip it and use the petal knobs (lol) as finger holds for a super-smooth soaping. This individual red flower soap is a press sample only and the Love You Mum soap available for public purchase is the full floral patterned block one displayed here.

Rose Bombshell bath bomb
I experienced such a lovely, relaxing bath with this rosy delight! Under hot water, the white outer edge crumbles to reveal pink inside and rose petals, resulting in pale pink bath water with petals floating on top (see photo above)! The scent is floral and subtle enough to not be overwhelming. The ingredients include soya milk powder, orange flower absolute, rosewood and Turkish rose oils. Afterwards, my skin was soft to the touch and sweetly fragranced. I might invest in a couple of these bombs before they sell out, because this girly, pink, rosy bath experience was an absolute joy!

Mother Superior bubble bar
I'm leaving this cherry blossom scented bar for my son to use, because he likes the face on it, despite my husband saying it resembles a cat's anus. I can only imagine this bright bar turns the water blue, fills the bath with bubbles and the room with the smell of cherry blossoms! This remains to be seen, but that's my best guess based on the available information. The bar itself smells sweet and floral, and the ingredients include Sicilian lemon oil, orange blossom infusion, jasmine and mimosa absolute. My son can't wait to try his Mother Superior bubble bar!

Yummy Mummy body conditioner
Lush body conditioners are quite unique in that you use them like you would a hair conditioner, but on your body! So after you've cleaned yourself, apply the conditioner on your skin, then rinse it off. The result is wonderfully soft, smooth, moisturised and beautifully fragranced skin, and no need to apply a body moisturiser once you're out of the shower! Speaking of fragrance, Yummy Mummy smells delightful. The ingredients include fresh strawberry juice, murumuru and Fair Trade Organic cocoa butter. This is my favourite Lush body conditioner thus far. OK, I've only tried two, but this is better than the exotic African Paradise (here's my review of that) in my opinion!

Bloomin' Awesome Box!

Disclaimer: All products were provided for consideration. This is a non-sponsored post and all reviews are my honest opinion.

Which product takes your fancy from the Lush Mother's Day range?

Movie Review: While We're Young

Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Amanda Seyfried, Adam Driver, Charles Grodin, Adam Horovitz.
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Director: Noah Baumbach

Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach, While We're Young tells the story of Josh (Ben Stiller) and Cornelia (Naomi Watts), a middle-aged couple whose lives are turned upside down after they befriend a young, hipster couple, Jamie (Adam Driver) and Darby (Amanda Seyfried). Josh is a documentary filmmaker who has been working on the same film for nearly a decade. His life has come to a standstill, and in his own words, the only two feelings he has left are "wistful and disdainful". But when he meets exciting young couple Jamie and Darby, he feels invigorated, both in his career and his marriage. They are spontaneous, fun, and everything Josh and Cornelia are not. But of course, not everything is as it seems. Don't worry, NO SPOILERS here!

I really liked this honest, funny, yet moving film. I was engaged, liked the characters and even related to some of the feelings portrayed. I like it when actors predominantly known for their comedy roles (in this case Ben Stiller) take on something a little deeper and more meaningful. Case in point; Adam Sandler in Punch Drunk Love. Check that out if you haven't already, it's a beautiful little gem. I digress! I'm a big fan of TV's Girls, and Adam Driver is good in this (he plays Hannah's love interest in Girls). The only thing that annoyed me was the dialogue where Driver's character says "see?" at the end of way too many sentences. Overkill! But that's a tiny point that hardly detracts from a fresh, poignant, funny and enjoyable film.

In researching Noah Baumbach, I notice he also wrote and directed multiple films on my To Watch list: Greenberg (also starring Ben Stiller), Frances Ha (Adam Driver is in this) and Kicking And Screaming (Parker Posey and Eric Stoltz, two of my favourites). 

While We're Young is screening now in Australian cinemas.

Adore Beauty Benefit Cosmetics GWP!

Don't you love it when your staple products are nearly kaput and you see a GWP (Gift With Purchase, as if you didn't know) offer directly related to products you needed to buy anyway? It's the perfect combination of incredible timing, good fortune and well, bad luck for my husband, because he has to hear me blab excitedly about beauty products and GWP deals for way too long!

Benefit Cosmetics are one of my favourite brands, so when I opened an email from Adore Beauty offering a 7-piece gift set with any Benefit spend of $89 or more, I knew I needed to take advantage. I was due to buy a new Ooh La Lift and Erase Paste anyway. I just needed to add a dual pencil sharpener to my order ($9, trust me, the cheapest way to reach the qualifying spend. I tried many product combinations like the sad cheap arse I am) and holy guacamole, that gift set was mine! Here's everything I got:

Benefit Erase Paste in Fair
Benefit Ooh La Lift
Benefit Dual Pencil Sharpener

GWP comprising:
POREfessional License To Blot Oil-Blotting Stick 1.4g
POREfessional PRO Balm 3.0 mL
POREfessional Agent Zero Shine PRO Powder sachet
They're Real! Remover 7.5mL
They're Real! Push Up Liner mini
They're Real! Mascara 3.0g
Roller Lash Mascara 3.0g

Freebies:
Green People Intensive Repair Shampoo 5ml sachet
La Roche-Posay Lipid-Replenishing Body Balm 7ml sachet
Tim Tam!

I'm not sure if this particular GWP is still running, as I received another Adore Beauty email a few days after with a bunch of new GWPs! Check the current promotions on their site for the latest deals. By the way, this is not sponsored, I'm in no way affiliated with Adore Beauty and I paid for this order entirely with my own money! Just wanted to share my excitement for the great deals you can get at Adore Beauty.

Manicure: Sally Hansen Miracle Gel in Pinky Promise!

I took advantage of the recent Priceline 40% off sale and picked up a couple of Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nail lacquers (Pinky Promise and Sugar Fix) for only $10.17 each, instead of the usual $16.95. The revolutionary formula is apparently part lacquer and part gel, with no UV/LED lights required for curing. Your manicure is meant to last up to 14 days, which is a hell of a lot longer than ordinary polish. Personally, I'd be happy just to get 7 chip-free days of 'colour and shine'. I'm not holding my breath though, because I forgot to buy the top coat that activates the curing! Oops! Another advantage is that you can apparently remove Miracle Gel like you would normal polish; no soaking, wrapping or scraping (say what?) required.

I needed two coats to achieve opaqueness and cover a few streaky bits. The formula is super smooth and the brush is flat (much like the fan brush of the Bourjois 1 Second gel effect range) which means application is fast and easy. Also, I love this colour! Pinky Promise is a gorgeous light pastel pink. Miracle Gel gives a shiny, smooth-looking finish, and I must say, so far I'm impressed!

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel nail lacquer (rrp $16.95) is available at Priceline, Target, Chemist Warehouse and Kmart.

Disclaimer: This is a non-sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

I Found Mecca!

I found MECCA. And I shopped there! I had a rare appointment in the city recently, and although it was medical and a bit stressful, all I could think about was visiting Mecca afterwards and finally swatching the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders. I powerwalked there so fast I was kind of puffed out and sweaty when I got there (what a dork!). Well not super sweaty, but my skin was not completely dry and that's my excuse for why the powder swatches oxidized on my inner wrist! I don't know what the hell that means, but the Sales Assistant insisted they were oxidizing (basically most of them went a weird, darker colour). So devastated! I ended up getting Mood Light with the intention of using it as a blush (since it's a pale pink), but it's so subtle and sheer it actually looks amazing all over my face as a setting powder. When I wear it as a blush, I layer it over another blush as it barely imparts any colour on its own. I'm loving this product and am keen to return and try swatching everything again (this time not after a long, brisk walk!).

I was disappointed the small Mecca I visited didn't stock Bobbi Brown, as I wanted to try out the Correctors for dark under eye circles to know if I should be going for Bisque or Peach. I'll be visiting the city again in June (seriously, it's usually years between my trips to the city) and this time I'll hit up the Mecca Cosmetica in the Myer Centre which is probably way larger and stocks more brands.

Anyway, at least I visited at the ideal time of day, mid-morning and well before the lunch time rush, so I was the only customer in store and I got a lovely Sales Assistant all to myself the whole time! I swatched most of the Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadows and decided upon Vintage Black Gold, but seriously, they were all so pretty and sparkly. It comes with a tiny Stay All Day Liquid Eye Primer bottle and accompanying dropper, which I've read in reviews is not nearly enough for the amount of eyeshadow, but I guess it's still better than a slap in the face with a wet fish.

Then I had an epic lipstick swatching session, tossing up between the NARS and Hourglass nude shades. I had my final three choices applied to my lips (and felt super special, as I'm never one to get makeup applied at the counters!) and decided Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme lipstick in Mural was the one for me. I'm definitely getting a NARS lippie next time as the shades were gorgeous.

I had already joined the online Beauty Loop program but was told the instore one was separate, so I was joined as an instore Beauty Loop member as well. They didn't seem super keen to hand me a free sample when I asked (lol, I always ask, especially if I've just spent nearly $150 on three products), but after a list of what they don't do samples of, she did make up a tiny pot of Sunday Riley Start Over Active Eye Cream for me.

Hourglass Femme Rouge Velvet Creme lipstick rrp $39
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder rrp $59
Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow rrp $44

Let me know in the comments if Mecca stores usually include free samples with purchases, I'm interested to know!

Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Sale: What I Got!

Everything I got!

If there's ever a good time to re-stock your staple makeup items and even try out some products you've been umming and aahing over, it's during Priceline's 40% off makeup sale! This was a two day sale that occurred instore and online, so there were no excuses not to join in. Here's what I got!

Lipliners - Wish Me A Rose (top), Satin Mauve (bottom)

Maybelline Masterliner in Black - I use this every day, so naturally I bought two. I love everything about it (formula, colour intensity, ease of application) and at only $7.50 each it was an absolute bargain.

Essence Lipliners in Satin Mauve and Wish Me A Rose - I don't know much about Essence as a brand except that it's budget, but I needed new lipliners and these were only $1.20 each! Say wha?? I tried them before taking photos and happily, they are good quality!

Sugar Fix (the blue one, left), Pinky Promise (the pink one, right)

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel polishes in Sugar Fix and Pinky Promise - I've been craving pretty pastel colours lately even though the weather is warming up and most people are reaching for plums and deep reds. Anyway, what a great opportunity to see what all the fuss is about with these Miracle Gels. I'd love my polish to last longer before chipping. Can't wait to try these over the Easter long weekend!

Love this foundation!

Revlon Colorstay Makeup (Combination/Oily) in Ivory - my current one is nearly finished, so this was a replacement purchase. I never have much luck with foundations, and this is basically the best thing I can find, so far, in my ongoing search. Great coverage, longlasting and the colour suits me perfectly. It's my go-to every day foundation and I will continue to buy it.

Face Of Australia Pencil Sharpener - I think I might have had my one and only pencil sharpener for a decade? No wonder it's under-performing. It was high time for a replacement, and this is it.

Now that I've got it, what do I do with it? LOL

Australis AC ON TOUR Contouring & Highlighting Kit - Well, holy crap, look what I finally got! To be honest, I don't even know if I need it, but it's been so hyped in beauty circles and so sold out freaking everywhere, that I just had to get it. Although in the last few months I've been watching makeup tutorials on YouTube and experimenting with highlighting and contouring, so I will use this. Once I recover from the fact that I actually own it. (By the way, these are apparently much more available now if you want to get one.)

These are great

Models Prefer Soft Touch Mineral Powder in Soft Focus - I have this powder in Photo Ready and seriously love it, so I took the opportunity to pick up the other shade I had my eye on, Soft Focus. Definitely pick one of these up if you're craving an Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder, as they are very comparable, yet much cheaper (Models Prefer $10.19 with 40% off applied, usual rrp $16.99, Hourglass $59). I did buy an Hourglass one from Mecca recently though, so I think I'll need to do more of an in-depth comparison!

Australis Samba (top), L'Oreal Cherry Crush (bottom). 1 out of 2 ain't bad.

Australis Colour Inject Lipstick in Samba - I'm so happy with this purchase! The price came to $7.77 and that's lucky for me because the formula is creamy and very wearable on the lips and the colour I picked is flattering; the perfect nude I was after.

L'Oreal Color Riche Moist Matte Lipstick in Cherry Crush - nope. This was a mistake. Way too Barbie pink for me and it looks pretty bad on. I don't know what happened, because when I order online I usually Google colour swatches first as there's only so much you can do with a rectangular inch of colour on a computer screen. This must have been towards the end of my order and I was frazzled and added something quickly to get over $100 and get my free delivery. Oh well, the rest is good!

L'Oreal Cherry Crush (top), Australis Samba (bottom).

15 Facts About Me Instagram Tag!

So this is in fact an Instagram tag, but I thought I'd share it on my blog, because why not? I was tagged by Ingrid (@fabulousandfunlife) to share 15 Facts About Me so here they are!

1. Sometimes I exercise and eat KFC at the same time.

2. I once thought the hem of my pant leg was a hairy black spider that moved every time I did.

3. My greatest female role model and constant source of inspiration is Judge Judy.

4. I think pink flamingos are kind of awesome.

5. When I was at University I used the men's toilets for a week as a social experiment.

6. I've been bitten by a duck.

7. I once stole a slab of beer from a ski chalet balcony and attempted to ride it down the mountain with a group of boys I really shouldn't have been hanging out with. 

8. I favourite my own tweets if I think they're really good.

9. One of my favourite things to do is crack eggs on my husband's head when he least expects it.

10. I've been out to dinner with a black shoe on one foot and a pink shoe on the other. I don't know how it happened but I spent the entire night mortified.

11. I'm very good at imagining the most morbid of situations and often have nightmares where I get murdered.

12. Whenever I'm down I just remember that I have as many Oscars as Leonardo DiCaprio and suddenly I'm happy again.

13. I've had exactly two jobs where I haven't understood what I was doing the entire time I worked there (and never said anything).

14. My strangest pet was a frog. I thought he would be less boring.

15. Years ago when I was telemarketing, I accidentally said 'OK. Bye. Love you!' to a complete stranger on the phone.

You can follow me on Instagram here @shinyglitterbug and see who I tagged to complete the challenge next!