Manicure: Bourjois 1 Seconde Gel in 07 Fuchsia

 

Hi guys! A quick look at my latest Mani today; it's shade 07 Fuchsia from Bourjois, a gorgeous quick drying gel texture nail polish. I actually surprised myself by trying a pale pink/white shade over Christmas, which is not my jam, although it did grow on me. I naturally gravitate towards bright colours, hot pinks, dark shades or reds so I'm proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone. Did you know that light coloured nails make your skin appear more tan? I didn't know this! Check out Essence Sugar Blush, from their gel nail colour range on my nails (pictured below).

Anyway, onto my current mani, Bourjois 07 Fuchsia. I am loving this! New year, new shade to shake things up, right? This is so bright and cheerful. A perfect way to start 2023 (although yes, we are already halfway through January lol). I did a massive nail polish declutter last year, so have a lot less shades to choose from, but still more than enough. It's really hard not to buy new nail polish! Click here to read about my huge nail polish declutter.

I used just one coat and didn't use a top coat because I can't currently locate it haha. I probably should buy a new one. Also when it appears this opaque after one coat I usually don't apply a second layer as my tendency to apply thick means the second coat will probably smudge and ruin the mani. I don't know how on earth people apply two coats and a top coat without it smudging! What do you think of this shade? Is it something you'd wear? 

Disclaimer: Essence Sugar Blush was PR gifted.

Life Lately, in Pictures!

 

Hi guys! Just a super quick post today, as I'm getting busier as we approach Christmas, and don't have much time for blogging. I'm undecided if I should take a blog break over the holidays. We're also having a short holiday in January which further complicates things, so it might actually be best to skip a few Mondays and come back fresh in February 2023. We'll see! Anyway, here's a quick round up of what I've been up to...

Watching

Decorating

Collabs (Nourish'd Kitchen and The Mile End Hotel)

Relaxing

Playing (Candy Crush)

Trialling

Essence Manicure: All-Time FavouRED

 

Hi guys! What is your go-to shade when it comes to nails? Personally I love dark red. There's just something cool, sexy and chic about deep red, and it makes me feel good. It's what I vibe with and the colour I reach for the most.

Recently I was sent a box of Essence cosmetics for review, so I just had to try the gel nail colour in All-Time FavouRED first. It's a stunning shade and it's wearing really well. It was easy to apply thanks to the broad double-touch brush and was opaque on me after just one coat. I love how it looks almost black, but you can see that it's actually dark red.

Other benefits are that it dries down really fast and being a gel polish is really long lasting. I'm loving that it's highly pigmented because a lot of the time I cannot be bothered with a second coat. Also, the finish is nice and shiny! Essence polishes have a vegan, clean beauty formula with a short list of ingredients.

I've left the best news 'til last. Essence nail polishes retail for only $4 each. What an absolute bargain for a long lasting gel polish! You can find them in Priceline and Target in Australia.

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Disclaimer: Product was gifted for trial/review. All opinions are my own.

Low Budget Makeup Haul!

Hi guys! For some reason I'm not as excited about buying new makeup lately, although I will always love applying makeup and wearing it. Even though new releases are not catching my attention, I still have to re-purchase back-ups of my staple makeup items, so here's a very budget friendly drugstore brand makeup haul, where the aim was to stock up on my every day eye makeup items. I also got some extra stuff I needed while I was there. Both Chemist Warehouse and Priceline were having sales, so everything here was at a bargain price!

Chemist Warehouse had 50% off Maybelline (yassss!) so I picked up my fave eyeliner, the Maybelline Masterliner in Black. This was $5.99, usually $12.50. I was going to get two of them, but then I saw the Maybelline boxed Kit for $7.00 which contained a Masterliner eyeliner,  Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara and Eyelash Curler! Just a dollar more and you get two bonus items... score!

I also spotted the Maybelline Master Precise Skinny eyeliner and Maybelline Brow Precise Micro Pencil, both of which I've never tried, but I thought at half price, now is the best time to give them a go! Also, it's really hard to get defined wings with the Masterliner as the end rounds out after a few uses, so hopefully the Skinny pencil comes in handy there.

I spent $26.37 at Chemist Warehouse and the receipt tells me I saved $38.53 (woo hoo!). At first I was like, whaaaaaa? because everything was 50% off, but then I saw the boxed Kit was originally $24.95, down to $7.00. Bitch can shop.

The eyebrow pencil I swear by, Ardell's Pro Brow Mechanical Pencil was actually on special (this rarely happens) at Priceline, so I obviously got two. Also, it's not stocked at my local Priceline and can be hard to find, so this was a no-brainer.

I can't find my makeup pencil sharpener at the moment and all my nude lipliners are super blunt, so instead of doing the normal thing and buying a new sharpener, I bought two new nude Essence Soft Contouring lipliners instead (Nude Painting and Lost In Love). Don't judge! Bargain buy recommendation alert! You can't go wrong with Essence lipliners; they perform well, the formula is great and they are only $2.00 each. Get on this, people! I also picked up an Essence Kajal eyeliner while I was perusing the Essence stand, because why not?

You may be interested in Priceline 40% Off Makeup Haul!

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Disclaimer: All products were bought by me and there are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

Picked up a bargain recently? Tell us about it below!

Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics Haul!

I don't even know where to begin with this. I had a rough wish list in my iPhone Notes and I got everything on that wish list and then some. LOL. Actually the only thing I didn't get were a few Bourjois Lip Velvets in shades other than the two I own, but after dropping an astonishing $160 (say WHAT?) I exited the store with my tail between my legs in shock and immediately forget about those lip velvets. I actually stopped and checked my receipt, for surely they had made a mistake, but no, everything was indeed discounted, I just vastly underestimated what my total would come to. 40% off is pretty much 50% off when you're as bad at maths as I, so I was just halving everything. Then I got sick of doing that and just stopped adding shit up in favour of putting pretty makeup in my basket, haha. Anyway, I was actually mortified that I spent $160 and felt sick for a good ten minutes afterwards. (During those ten minutes I went to the newsagent and dropped $10 on the latest Elle Magazine to get the free Benefit GWP, lol). Whilst at Priceline I also bought a few things for an upcoming Giveaway but I'm not posting them here, because I don't want to spoil the surprise!

FACE
Revlon Colorstay Makeup in Combination/Oily (110 Ivory) ~ repurchase of staple
L'Oreal Infallible Total Cover Longwear Foundation (10 Porcelain) ~ excited to try this hyped base!
Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder (Light Beige) ~ second purchase of this, love it!
Australis Banana Powder ~ will be using this under my eyes to brighten dark circles

NAILS/EYES
Australis Metallix Eyeshadow (Gold Gaga) ~ aah so pretty! If Guns n Roses wasn't sold out I would have got that too!
Essie Nail Lacquer (Play Date) ~ love this shade!
Sally Hansen Miracle Gel (244 Mauve-olous) ~ had to have it.
Essence Ultra Strong Nail Hardener Treatment (not pictured, oops) ~ cheap as chips and my nails need it.

LIPS
Natio Lip Colour (Flame) ~ I don't know why I got this, my mind was glazed over at this point.
Essence Lipliner (Honey Berry) ~ these are so cheap and so good!
Essence Lipliner (Femme Fatale) ~ as above
Maybelline Color Jolt (Orange Outburst) ~needed to try these newbies!
Maybelline Color Jolt (Berry Naughty) ~ this shade spoke to me (it said 'BUY ME!')
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream (Amsterdam) ~ "Vincent Vega's in the house! Our man in Amsterdam!"
NYX Intense Butter Gloss 3 Piece Set (Pink Macaroon, Summer Fruit, Cherry Custard) ~ love these and had to add to my collection. So happy to see a trio pack!

That's it, excluding the stuff I bought for a Giveaway! Safe to say I went a little overboard. Did you exercise restraint, skip this sale or go bat-shit crazy like me? Let me know in the comments!

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A Beauty-Full Haul!

I'll preface this by saying I don't go into the city much. So when I take the hour long bus ride into town (on a school day, no less!), I make the most of it. This includes writing a huge list of everything I want to buy, where to get it and even the order in which to shop! Yes, I maximize my shopping time by prioritizing and putting everything in the most efficient order, so I'm not doubling back. I only had two hours to get all this plus buy my husband a Valentine's Day gift, as I was meeting him for lunch, then needed to be on the return bus so I could pick up my son from school. I'm happy with everything I got, although I would have liked to get a new perfume in the Priceline 'up to 60% off fragrances' sale, but I didn't like anything I sniffed!

I'd been wanting to try something from Natura Siberica ever since reading about the brand on beauty blogs and I'm fresh out of body scrub, so the Natura Siberica Oblepikha And Honey Body Scrub was a no-brainer. Look at that pretty packaging! I've had a sniff and it smells amazing, too! Plus I wanted a new mascara, and Maybelline Masterliner is my everyday eyeliner, so I was pretty thrilled to find this Maybelline Colossal Go Extreme Leather Black Mascara with bonus Masterliner Cream Pencil pack! This little haul was from Chemist Warehouse.

I had two Priceline Sister Club discount vouchers to use (yay!) so bought a pack of Schwarzkopf Blonde Ultime in Xtra Light Cool Blonde (marked down to $8.00) and Schwarzkopf Nordic Blonde Toner. I still hadn't reached my voucher value so added a couple of lippies, Essence lipstick in 01 Coral Calling and Savvy by DB lipstick in Guava. With my two vouchers, everything came to $4.70 YES!

I visited The Body Shop with the purpose of smelling their Italian Summer Fig scent (quite nice!) and getting a Born Lippy in Strawberry. I used to wear this every day at school when I was a teenager. Major nostalgia hit! I still love it. I looked in their sale section (of course) and found the strange but alluring Colour Crush Lipstick in 301 Drive Me Nuts. It's a brown shimmer and will be hit or miss (can't wait to try it) but at only $4.95, down from $21.95, I had to take the chance! ~ Edit~ it looks great blotted down on the lips and I even like it blended on the outer edges of my lids as an eyeshadow!

I was so excited to finally check out Oh Deer Sugar in Regent Arcade! It's very similar to Lush, but all the products are vegan and handmade in my hometown, little ol' Adelaide. After sniffing nearly everything I couldn't pass up the Fruit Tingle Body Scrub. I got a little piece of gingerbread bubble bar as a free sample, too!

Being the stationery addict I am, I had to get another three Typo A5 Spinout Notebooks. I write pages of notes, lists, ideas, recipes, blog ideas etc every day and go through these notebooks so quickly. I love their three for $10 deal.

I'm joining in with the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

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Mani: Essence I Love Trends The Pastels Matte Nails!

I had a bit of a nail crisis recently, when three nails decided to break within the space of a few days. And by 'break' I mean really short, as in down to the quick. I bit the bullet and filed the whole lot short to match and went for a specifically non-red colour. You can basically see the top of my fingers at this point. Hey, they'll grow back, what can you do, right?

I've been loving budget brand Essence lately, however this is my first product fail, mainly in the sense that I don't think matte nails are for me. I love this pretty pastel peach colour and I think the shade name 'I'm So Fluffy' is pretty darn cute, but I'm not in love with this formula. The first coat was terribly uneven, so a second coat was definitely in order. The polish dried quite quickly as well, so this was not exactly a relaxing manicure! The matte finish is just horrible, flat and ugly, in my opinion. I literally couldn't take it and glossed it up with the addition of my OPI Top Coat. This saved it for me and now I like how it looks. But I will never buy matte nail polish again, because, well, I hate it.

Products Used:
Essence I Love Trends The Pastels matte nail polish in I'm So Fluffy
OPI Top Coat

Matte finish, before the addition of top coat

With OPI top coat, in natural sunlight

Disclaimer: Essence was bought by me and the OPI I won. All thoughts are my honest opinion, as always.

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party! Click through and check out some great beauty blogs.

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What length do you prefer your nails? Have you tried wearing matte nail polish?

A Spot of Shopping!

I had an appointment in the city yesterday, which basically meant one thing: shopping! I only had 1.5 hours free before my lunch date with hubby, then the return bus trip to pick up my son from school, but it's amazing what you can do in a limited amount of time if you rarely get into the city!

La Prairie Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster free sample pack

First stop, the David Jones beauty counters. Specifically, the La Prairie section to ask if the Anti-Aging Rapid Response Booster samples were in. YES THEY WERE! I think the lady remembered me, my email offer and my enthusiastic questions about the Skin Caviar range from last time (see Free Samples: You Beauty!). I was pleasantly surprised to find an Anti-Aging Eye and Lip Contour Cream in the sample packet, too! I can't wait to try these two out. I'm already in love with the eye cream samples she gave me last time although the price tag can eat a bag of dicks (Skin Caviar Luxe Eye Lift Cream, $380 for 20ml).

I then went over and smelled the YSL Paris perfumes. Parisienne is one of my all-time favourite scents. I noticed a pink-coloured Paris (not Baby Doll, which I find sickly sweet) and the Sales Assistant said it was a Limited Edition release (Premieres Roses I later discovered thanks to the Google machine). She tried to sell it to me, but I took the sample she sprayed onto a pink ribbon instead!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation sample in Cool Bone

I then hit up Estee Lauder and enquired about the Double Wear foundation. I got colour-matched, and the Sales Assistant applied some along my jaw-line after removing some of my makeup. I internalised my psychological trauma and coped by asking 1637 questions about my undertones, because I'll be buggered if I can work out what they are! Apparently, I'm cool and neutral. Hey, you don't have to tell me I'm cool. lololol. She gave me a generous sample of Double Wear in Cool Bone to try out. Can't wait to see how it compares to my everyday foundation, Revlon Colorstay.

Various sparkly earrings from Lovisa

Hello Lovisa! When you enter a jewellery store, what do you make a beeline for? My eye goes straight to the earrings. And the '3 for $10' rack! I spent way too long perusing the shiny pieces, and finally decided upon six items, which would set me back only $20. Most of them had multiple earrings on them too, so I was pretty chuffed. 

Priceline haul: loving nude shades lately!

Priceline next, to redeem the '$10 off when you spend $50 or more in the Gawler Place store' email offer I had received. I'm completely shocked and amazed that I managed to resist getting the recent SkinCare Bag deal, like so shocked and amazed that I went ahead and spent $50 on this offer without a second thought. Hang on, aren't I supposed to be resisting these deals, because I don't need anything? Aah, stuff it. It only came to $40 after the offer anyway. Here's what I got:

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair Clair

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipstick in Honey Beige

Clean & Clear Advantage Fast Clearing Spot Gel

Essence Blush Up! in Heat Wave

Essence Long-Lasting Lipstick in Oh So Matt!

Essence I <3 Trends Nail Polish in I'm So Fluffy

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June Favourites: MakeUp Edition!

I haven't written a Favourites post in a while, so here's a fairly quick one based solely on MakeUp. These are the products I've been reaching for nearly every day throughout June. My reliable buddies, my go-to items when I want to slap my face on quickly without thinking.

I swipe on Korres Mandarin Lip Butter Stick SPF15 right at the start of my makeup routine because it softens and moisturises my lips and prepares them for the onslaught of plumper, liner and lipstick that's to come. At the beginning stages of my makeup, my reflection is looking quite pale and depressing, so a shot of flattering red balm is just what I need to pep myself up, even if I do wipe it off later!

I've been using the Maybelline Big Eyes Luminous Brown Palette, which I won from a giveaway on Kats Colourings blog, every weekday morning when I'm rushing to get ready for school drop-off. The shades in this eyeshadow palette are right up my alley and I know I can create a flattering, subtle look quickly and easily with the earthy nude colours.

I don't know why I haven't thought of this before? Since winning a Dettol prize pack from the Little Lioness blog I've plonked this mini Dettol Healthy Touch Instant Hand Sanitizer on my makeup table and have been using it in between makeup processes to disinfect my hands. So for instance, if I've used my fingertips to apply eyeshadow, I clean them off with hand sanitizer before applying moisturiser and foundation (yes, I do my eyes first, then work my way down my face). My blemishes are pretty much gone now, and I'm going the extra mile not to spread any germs over my face!

This little Australis Colour Corrector in Gold is a surprise packet! I bought it before discovering my Holy Grail dark circle cover, the Bobbi Brown Corrector (see Product Rave! Bobbi Brown Corrector. Just Wow) and I really like it. The thin, gel-like consistency means it glides on easily and it does a good job of illuminating and brightening the under-eye area and providing a great base for which to add my heavy duty, highly-pigmented Bobbi Brown Corrector. On days where I've managed a decent amount of sleep I can get away with using just the Australis Colour Corrector. This is inexpensive and would be great for people with mild darkness around the eyes.

How good are the Essence LipLiners? I've got three shades now, and I'm reaching for Wish Me A Rose the most. This is a great colour match for pink-toned nude lipsticks. I can't fault the formula, and at only $2 each, these lipliners are an absolute steal. Highly recommended!

I'm also loving the Physicians Formula Organic Wear FakeOut Mascara, which came in the Priceline Cosmetics Gift Bag back in May. This is a fibre mascara, but I mostly love the brush shape and the non-clumpy volume it imparts. The flat, curvy pink leaf design of the tube is novel, fun and super-cute, too!

Disclaimer: All products were bought by me with the exception of the Dettol and the Maybelline ones, which I won. All reviews are my honest opinion. :)

What products have you been loving in June?

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).