June Beauty Favourites!

Here are the products I loved last month and continue to love now. Because it takes more than the mere passage of time to alter my passion for a product. Although I suspect now that the Maybelline The Blushed Nudes Palette is released, the normal Nudes may get tossed to the wayside. LOL. We'll see!

Covergirl Outlast Stay Luminous Natural Glow Foundation (Classic Ivory)
I'm so fussy with foundations! Or maybe I'm just really bad at finding good ones. Case in point: prior to buying this, I had one foundation that I wore daily, Revlon Colorstay Foundation in Ivory. That's what looked best on me, so I was sticking to it. Well, now I have a massive two foundations that I'm happy with, because my Stay Luminous one is a rare good find. My skin used to be oily, so I never used to be able to wear bases that gave a dewy finish, but now that its drier, I can totally get away with a foundation like this, without resembling an oil slick after a few hours. I love the formula; it almost goes on like a nice moisturiser, and it blends really easily. Because it's so easy to apply I reach for it when I'm in a hurry, as it takes less time to blend in than my Revlon Colorstay.

Rimmel ColourPrecise Eyeliner (Black)*
I was sent a black and a white one of these, and whilst the white one is not my cup of tea, the black one is coming in very handy. I'm very weird about my eyeliner, and still use Maybelline Masterliner for the majority of my line, but I've switched to using the Rimmel ColourPrecise for my wings. Previously I flicked my wings with the Master Graphic sharpie-like liner, but the ColourPrecise is, well, more precise! The tip is finer and tapered and it's also flexible, so it's easier to get a finer wing flick happening. I'm quite heavy-handed with my eyeliner, so anything that's going to make my look more refined has the thumbs up from me!

Perricone MD Advanced Eye Area Therapy
I fell in love with this eye cream ever since trialling a free sample of it from Mecca. In effectiveness, it's second only to my Holy Grail, the La Prairie Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift. But that's, like $400 for 20 ml which is why I only have samples of it! This Perricone MD one is much more affordable and has really improved my under eye area. It's firmer, smoother and (when I'm not laughing) you can barely see my fine lines. I've been using this morning and night, and will continue to do so, because I really love what it does for me.

Matrix Biolage Waterless Clean & Full Dry Shampoo*
I'm such a heavy user of dry shampoo, it's not even funny. I'm a Mother, so I'm busy a lot, and don't freak, but I only wash my hair once a week. It doesn't get super oily or anything, trust me if it was gross, I'd up it to twice a week, lol. Anyway, I've used a lot of different dry shampoos in my time, and this Biolage one is pretty damn good! It sprays a super-fine mist that doesn't go white on the hair, and it cleans up the roots nicely, whilst imparting a good amount of volume when you rub it in. And I'm always after volume, because my hair is so fine and lank without product. This does smell a bit funny, but I totally forgive it that, given the results this dry shampoo gives.

Maybelline The Nudes Eyeshadow Palette
Do you ever get intimidated by expensive, hyped-up palettes? I bought the Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette, but I'm kind of a bit scared of it? Like, what do I do? It's so professional, all the makeup gurus are using it! Aargh! Well the Maybelline The Nudes palette is just easy, fuss-free and completely non-intimidating. I use it if I'm in a rush because you can't really stuff up with it. I enjoy the neutral, earthy shades, I know what I'm doing and it's just not scary, you know?

You may like my April Favourites

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Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Have you tried any of these? What products have you been loving lately?

My Priceline 40% Off MakeUp Haul!

I spent roughly $110 on makeup. Oops. Does that cover it? My husband gets this look on his face when I start fast-talking after one of these sales. It's basically very calm, yet wide-eyed (resigned, perhaps?) then he simply asks "how much?". Then I tell him and he shakes his head and we both laugh. LOL. Here's everything I bought in the Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Sale!


Revlon Colorstay MakeUp (Combination/Oily) in Ivory
Covergirl Outlast Stay Luminous Foundation in Classic Ivory
Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder in Natural
Australis High Life Highlighting Powder
Face of Australia Colour Max Blush in O Peachy!
Models Prefer Radiance Collection Cream Palette
Models Prefer Eye Brightener
Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Bronze
Rimmel The Only One lipstick in Call Me Crazy
Maybelline ColorBlur Cream Matte Pencil in Orange Ya Glad
Maybelline Masterliner in Black

I'm so happy with this haul! I got a few back-ups of my staple items at bargain prices (Revlon Colorstay, Maybelline Masterliner - unfortunately my shade of Maybelline Fit Me Concealer was sold out, so I missed out there) and managed to pick up the exact shade of Max Factor Excess Shimmer I wanted (Bronze), after raving about the Copper coloured eyeshadow in my January Beauty Favourites.

My other goal was to buy some fun products that were new to me, and I did that with the Models Prefer Cream Palette, Covergirl Stay Luminous Foundation and Maybelline ColorBlur lip pencil! Also, I'm seriously deficient when it comes to blush, and have hit pan on my beloved Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush (reviewed here), so was thrilled to find the (very cheap!) FOA O Peachy blush.

And lastly, I am super happy with my new Rimmel The Only One lipstick in Call Me Crazy! Earlier this year I received six shades in this range to trial (you can read my Review here) and fell in love with the formula. When I read other bloggers reviews I also fell in love with the shade Call Me Crazy, and now it's finally mine! Check it out on my lips below....

Fun side-note: I was kind of shocked at the total, because my maths skillz are shit (and that's being generous) so all my in-store estimates involved simply halving the price. I figured 50% off would be pretty close to 40% off but I GUESS NOT. I actually added up everything on my iPhone afterwards just in case the cash register had got it wrong. LOL.

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Did you pick anything up and if so what? If you have a Haul post from this sale, link it up in the comments!

Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Haul!

Let's retrieve this post from the 'better late than never' pile, as we take a look at what I bought in the Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Sale (that you may or may not remember at this point). I was going so well, with fairly regular posting, when BAM! the countdown to Christmas competitions hit. I won't go into detail, suffice to say there's about 5000* giveaways to enter each day, and it's taking over my life**. If you guys are interested I'll do a post in January showing all the prizes I won in December, because I'm not doing too badly! Let me know in the comments. Anyhoo, here's what I got, including free delivery, because I ordered online and it came to over $100 (not an accident).

• Models Prefer Matte Nude Shadows Palette
• Garnier BB Cream Combination To Oily Skin in Light/Claire
• Maybelline Line Express Eyeliner in Ebony Black
• Covergirl Brow & Eye Makers Brow Shaper in Midnight Brown
• Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Fantasy Fire
• Max Factor Max Effect Mini Nail Polish in Candy Blue
• Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper
• Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose
• Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Meteoric Matte
• Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Lipstick in 32
• Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids Lipstick in Fuchsia Flash
• Maybelline Baby Lips Electro Pop in Pink Shock
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Berry Couture

Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper

Rimmel Apocalips Lip Velvet in Meteoric Matte

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Rose

Max Factor Max Effect mini nail polishes; (left) Candy Blue, (right) Fantasy Fire

Models Prefer Matte Nude Shadows palette

(L-R): BabyLips Pink Shock, Rimmel Kate 32. Revlon Berry Couture, Vivids Fuchsia Flash

Quick Thoughts

~ The Garnier BB Cream for Combo-Oily Skin seems to mattify my skin too much and is a bit of a let-down for me. I might stick with the original version!

~ I haven't tried the Max Factor nail polish mini in Fantasy Fire yet, but am pretty excited to after looking at swatches and reading reviews where it's been described as duochrome, multi-tonal and holographic!

~ My Models Prefer palette came damaged, with the Chocolate shade broken, leaving the lighter shades covered in dark brown powder (I cleaned it up as best I could for the photo). Priceline were out of stock to replace it (apparently instore and online are two completely separate entities, I was told), so I was refunded the money for it.

~ I'm loving the creaminess and ease of application of the Max Factor Shimmer Eyeshadow! Ever since I started using Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in Birthday Suit I have seriously fallen in love with cream eyeshadows!

~ So glad I got the Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blush, it is freaking delightful!

~ I can't believe I completely forgot about the new Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Nude Collection and went with an original shade! Luckily though, number 32 is very flattering and I do love it.

~ The Baby Lips is super fun and feels great on but design flaw alert! Not being able to wind the product to below the tube top means I will eventually take a chunk out of it. The product just sits too high and you have to be careful every time you put the lid back on!

* may be a slight exaggeration
** this is completely accurate

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Do you use any of these products? Any you're keen to try out?

Covergirl Out of the Blue Manicure

Featured in today's manicure is Covergirl Outlast Stay Brilliant Nail Gloss in Out of the Blue. I don't know if it was just my particular bottle, but I found the formula to be very thick and quite difficult to apply. I only needed one coat for full coverage, and had to work quite quickly to smooth it out so I didn't get lumps. The large square handle is not the easiest thing to hold, but I do love the pop of bright, pretty colour I get from this nail gloss.

*In the photo with my fingers out straight, it looks like the product is lumpy, however, it's the tricky reflection of our lace curtains on my nails!

Disclaimer: This product was purchased by me. Non-sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Health and Beauty Treat Haul!

I've been really good lately, shopping the stash instead of buying up in-store (or online!). So I don't feel bad at all about this little Health and Beauty Treat Haul. Some of the items were on special (YAY!) and I needed a new Witch Hazel, plus I haven't read a magazine in ages and sugar-free chocolate is practically good for you, right? Here we go ....

Products Purchased:
Who Magazine
T.N. Dickinson's Witch Hazel
Swisse Hair Skin Nails Vitamins (50% off at Coles: only $8.99)
Well Naturally Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Mint Crisp
Well Naturally Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Valencia Orange
Well Naturally Sugar Free Dark Chocolate Rich Dark (guilt-free treats!)
Covergirl Outlast Nail Gloss Out Of The Blue
Covergirl Outlast Nail Gloss Midnight Magic
Covergirl Outlast Nail Gloss Vio-Last (so pretty! And in the $2 Clearance Bin!)

August Product Love: My Favourites!

Without further ado, here are five products that have been rocking my world this month.

Covergirl Clean Foundation in Ivory

I actually bought this as a joke when it was half price at Coles because I used it religiously when I was in my teens. I was extremely pleasantly surprised (obviously having forgotten how good it was because my teen years were SO long ago!). This is a brilliant, lightweight formula that glides on effortlessly and blends in incredibly easily. It looks really natural and is easily buildable over areas where you may need a little extra coverage. For the best results, use over a primer as this reduces the oily effect throughout the day. I'd highly recommend this product.

Botani Olive Skin Serum

This is an anti-ageing natural mousturiser in a little glass vial with a dropper for application. After getting the hang of how and where to use this, I'm really appreciating it. Basically, you apply 2-3 drops on damp skin and gently massage it in. I am using this on areas that are a little dry, like my forehead and the sides of my cheeks, and I also use it under my eyes for fine lines. I am seeing a reduction in fine lines under my eyes, but that could this or any one of the hundreds of wrinkle-reducing eye creams I use! OK, not hundreds. But I do alternate between about 8 so it's very hard to pinpoint cause and effect. Anyway, my skin feels lovely and soft, smooth and moisturised after using this serum, and I'm really loving this gentle, natural product.

Sebastian Thickefy Foam

I have tried so many thickening products and more often than not, it's the same result. Crunchy hair. This foam is light and easy to use, not sticky and gives me great results. My hair still goes a bit crunchy, but after brushing it out, I am left with fuller hair, and to me, the results are better than those I get from other brands. I will be sad when this runs out as I won it, and I suspect it's dear to purchase.

BYS Metallics Browns Eye Palette

Well this is just a palette of fun. Sparkly, shimmery disco-ball fun. I love using it! You can use it subtly, but I prefer to whack this shit on 'til I'm glimmery as fuck. Get this, people. It's only $4.95 from Gloss or $3.95 from The Reject Shop. And you'd think it would be crappy quality because it's so cheap, but it's actually buttery smooth and well pigmented. There are lighter and darker shades, bronzes and different hues of brown so you can create blended, graduated looks, too. It doesn't wear for terribly long (creases) but using an eyeshadow primer (I'm yet to try this) underneath would surely extend the life of the colour. I am so glad I bought this!

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant

I'd heard so much about this, and I had won a bottle a while ago, but was waiting for my Alpha-H exfoliant to run out. I actually didn't know how this would compare because I had fallen in love with the Alpha-H, but this is better! I'm a massive fan of exfoliants and have tried quite a few. This is a rice-based powder that you mix with water to make a paste. It takes a while to accomplish the perfect consisitency, but once you do, it's easy to recreate every time. It feels fantastic, like I'm getting a really good, deep clean and it leaves my skin feeling soft, smooth and fabulous. It also contains a Skin Brightening Complex and ingredients to balance uneven skin tone and calm the skin. I'm hoping to see a brighter complexion with continued use, but I'm loving the results I'm getting from this microfoliant so far.


** Covergirl & BYS bought with my own money, Sebastian & Dermalogica I won and Botani was provided for review on another site. **



What are you loving this month?