Max The Unicorn

Sunday, June 9, 2019

May - June Beauty Faves!

Hi guys! It's time to tell you about the products I've been loving lately. And for those wondering, yes I do need to blog about my May Movie Challenge (30 Netflix Movies In 30 Days Challenge) so you all know how I did, that's the next post on my agenda! Back to the faves - do you love any of these? Let me know what's currently rocking your world in the comments below, I'd love to know!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Anti-Fatigue Concealer
I've recently rediscovered this in my collection and I'm so glad! I was actually getting it confused with the similarly-named Rimmel Wake Me Up Anti-Fatigue Skin Brightening Concealer (I'm not a fan of it), which is why I neglected this baby. I've been using it under my eyes to cover my dark circles and it's really effective, and actually giving me better results than the Revlon Photoready Colour-Correcting Pen for dark spots. I still have to use my Bobbi Brown Corrector as well, because that's how bad my dark circles are, but it's nothing a solid month of 10-12 hours sleep every night won't fix, hahaaa.

Sportsgirl Pout About It Lipstick in Nurture
I'm forever searching for my Holy Grail nude lipstick, and I think I'm pretty close with this product! Shade-wise I can't fault it, it's exactly what I'm looking for in terms of a my-lips-but-better, flattering for my skin tone shade. Texture wise, I love the creamy formula; it's easy to wear, comfortable on the lips and not at all drying. It wears pretty well too, although you do need to re-apply after eating, as you'd expect with this type of lipstick. Another plus is the magnetic close packaging. I'll definitely be buying a back up of this and expecting it to be discontinued imminently, as with most things I love!

Sally Hansen Color Therapy Nail Polish in Unwine'd*
I am seriously in love with this shade and think it might be my favourite deep red ever. It's sexy and sultry, flattering and suits my skin tone perfectly. It's one of those confidence-boosting shades that just makes you feel incredible when you're wearing it. It looks great in photos and I'll often apply it if I know there will be a close-up on my hand in a shot. Added bonus; it's from the Sally Hansen Color Therapy range, which means it's treating your nails as you wear it. It's a win win! I've blogged about this and more shades in the Sally Hansen Color Therapy range which you can read about here.

Aveda Thickening Tonic
I got this in a BeautyHeaven Beautorium, so it feels like it's free even though I paid postage, haha. I feel like Aveda is a high quality brand, and definitely want to look at the rest of their range. This Thickening Tonic is so great on my fine locks. It really gives me great volume from the roots without that awful crunchy result many supermarket volume boosters will give you. I'm a little bit scared to look at how much this costs for when I need to replace this bottle, because I have a feeling it will cost a pretty penny!

Mario Badescu Anti-Aging Regimen Kit
This Kit contains:
~ Glycolic Foaming Cleanser
~ Glycolic Acid Toner
~ Collagen Moisturizer
~ Super Collagen Mask
~ Glycolic Eye Cream (bonus)

This is a great Kit that has allowed me to trial five products from Mario Badescu's Anti-Aging range. The only one I'm yet to try is the Super Collagen Mask, as I've just been too busy. I'm seriously impressed with the rest of the products though, and the only downfall is that I'm now going to have to buy some full-sized versions! After only about three days I started noticing my skin looking smoother, firmer and more refined. The Toner and Moisturizer are my favourites as they leave my skin glowing and looking bright and healthy. I feel like my skin is way less textured and my complexion overall looks so much better than before. I'm so glad I bought this and as I say, I'll definitely be re-purchasing the full size of at least the toner and moisturizer.

You may be interested in Priceline Product Picks!

Linking up with Life This Week, Open Slather, Mummy Mondays and Lovin' Life Linkies

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow me on my Beauty Instagram @shinyglitterbug

Follow me on my Foodie Instagram @imhungrymax

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: Products marked * were provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What products have you been loving lately?

Sunday, May 26, 2019

Hurley Cellar Opening with Hentley Farm Wines at Marion Hotel!

Hurley Cellar, Marion Hotel
849 Marion Road
Mitchell Park SA

Hi guys! I was lucky enough to attend the launch of the newly renovated Hurley Cellar at Marion Hotel last week. The premises looks absolutely beautiful, very stylish and spacious. In great news (for me at least, haha) the Marion Hotel is located a short drive from my house. Hubby and Mr 11 had a lovely dinner in the Bistro whilst I attended this event and we met up afterwards. It really was the perfect night! Keep reading to find out what went down!

We were treated to a glass of bubbly on arrival. All the wines on the night were provided by Hentley Farm, so we got to sample a selection of local Hentley Farm wines, made in the Barossa Valley. The bubbly was Blanc de Noir, a Sparkling White that is bottled and labelled by hand in the vineyard. Interestingly, this is a white that's made from red grapes! It's a clean drop with red apple and roasted almond flavours, and it's absolutely delicious. I am biased towards champagne though, it's my go-to! It has a crunchy, dry style with a fine bubble. It's like I'm describing myself!

We were seated and poured a glass of Eden Valley Riesling. I'm going to be honest and say I missed the talk on this wine because I was too busy making and posting Insta Stories, haha. You could say that this is unprofessional, but I'd argue that it's actually very professional and the done thing at these events. Hehe. I liked the Riesling. On the table (set beautifully I might add!) were plates of crusty bread, olive oil, dukkah and balsamic, which was so good! I only wish I'd had more than one piece.

Then we were taken on a tour of the new Hurley Cellar, which was a glorious sight to behold; wines as far as the eye could see, stored on premium wine racks. So. Much. Wine. We were also shown the rest of the showroom, which was one of the classiest I've ever set foot in (and there have been a few!). It's well set out, roomy and the sections are clearly labelled. With a temperature-controlled walk-in coolroom and interesting use of recycled materials throughout, it has a stylish industrial chic feel. I really appreciated the spirits section and the gin section in particular, which boasts 23 local gins in stock. Gin is so hot right now! There's an olive pesto display too, which my husband would have loved (he's not dead, he's just in the Bistro at this point, haha).

Next we enjoyed sampling a flight of red wines. As a red wine lover, this was a fantastic opportunity to taste the flavours of a variety of Hentley Farm reds. And can I just say, four delicious red wines lined up, on repeat, around a beautifully set table is immensely aesthetically pleasing, and as such I had to take approximately 5000 photos, haha. James Halliday, arguably Australia's top wine writer and critic, has rated Hentley Farm the number one winery in Australia. So we were in for a treat! The wines to sample were the Estate Shiraz, Villian & Vixen Shiraz, Tempranillo and The Stray Mongrel GSZ.

The Estate Shiraz has a dark and vibrant colour and is basket pressed on skins for 50 days. I really enjoyed this one.

Villian & Vixen Shiraz was full-bodied in flavour and so delicious! It's very popular and features on a lot of wine lists around Australia. This was my favourite!

Tempranillo was quite different from the rest. I didn't take any notes on this one, but apparently it's an easy drinking wine (aren't they all? haha) and can easily be matched with a wide range of foods.

The Stray Mongrel GSZ is a blend of 59% Grenache, 37% Shiraz and 4% Zinfandel. It's been on skins for 80 days, so it's lovely and soft.

The Entree was a trio of goodness! On the plate was seared kingfish with wakame and wasabi mayo; smoked chicken and mayo on crostini; and haloumi, tomato and basil on a crisp wonton. I enjoyed all three of these little appetisers. The kingfish was melt-in-the-mouth delicious and the accompanying wasabi had just the right amount of heat. The smoked chicken had a tasty smoked (obviously, lol) flavour and the mayo gave it a beautiful creaminess that paired perfectly with the crunch of the crostini. I was excited to see the third morsel, as I've only recently discovered haloumi (I know, sue me). This one was simple, fresh, clean, tasty and basically the perfect little entree!

The Main Course was paired with The Beauty Shiraz. The Beauty Block is at the lowest point of the Hentley Farm vineyard on the banks of Greenock Creek. It's a cooler micro-climate, so the resulting wine is elegant and refined. The main event comprised smoked beef rib steak, braised brisket, roasted potatoes, heirloom carrots, broccolini and jus. This dish was absolutely delicious. The rib eye was slow smoked in a smoker then finished in the oven to medium rare. The meat was so tender and tasty, with the brisket melting in my mouth. I absolutely loved the main course, and appreciated the generous serving size!

You can visit the Hurley Cellar at the Marion Hotel (849 Marion Rd, Mitchell Park) or contact them by calling +618 8276 8888. Visit Hentley Farm on the corner of Gerald Roberts Road and Jenke Roads, Seppeltsfield or call them on +618 8562 8427.

Many thanks to Marion Hotel, Hentley Farm and Girl About Town for a wonderful evening!

You may be interested in Restaurant Review: Mexican Society

Linking up with Life This Week and Mummy Mondays

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow my Beauty Instagram @shinyglitterbug

Follow my Foodie Instagram @imhungrymax

Follow me on Bloglovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: Attendance was from a PR invite, all food and drinks provided, however reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What's your favourite type of wine?

Monday, May 6, 2019

Priceline Skincare Bag Gift With Purchase!

Hi guys! Lately it seems like Priceline are always running some offer or another, so today I'm featuring their current Skincare Bag deal. If you spend $69 or more in-store or online on skincare or suncare across participating brands, you get a FREE Skincare Gift Bag valued at over $200! This offer started on April 26th and runs until May 9, or until stocks run out. I only picked this up on April 2, and there were a fair few bags left in the Myer Centre, Adelaide store, but this will of course vary depending on your state and the store you visit. If you're interested in this Bag, I'd say head in-store toot sweet, before they run out.

The participating brands, in case you want to plan your haul, are: Kotia, Olay, MooGoo, Dr LeWinns, 7th Heaven, Garnier, Skin Physics, Neutrogena, The Base Collective, La Roche-Posay, Palmers, Sukin, Simple and Clear Skincare.

Pictured above is everything I bought to qualify for this offer. Usually the brands you get to select from are also on special, which makes it even harder to reach $69, haha. I got a bottle of Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water because I'd nearly run out, then saw the Garnier Purifying Botanical Toner with Green Tea, which sounded calming, so I decided to try it. I needed more scrub so picked up the Garnier Pure Active Daily Pore Scrub Wash. I use wipes like nobody's business, and thus couldn't go past the Simple Micellar Cleansing Wipes double pack, and also picked up the Simple Regeneration Age Resisting Cleansing Wipes to try. I needed a new moisturiser since I've nearly finished my Shiseido one, so I decided to try the Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Advanced Anti-Ageing Moisturiser. Then to reach the qualifying spend amount I needed a few dollars, so I got two Garnier Hydra Bomb Eye Tissue Masks, which were under $3 each.

OK, now let's look at everything you get in the Skincare Bag!

~ MooGoo Full Cream Moisturiser (120g)
~ Neutrogena Sheer Zinc Baby Dry-Touch Sunscreen SPF 50 (88ml)
~ Simple Anti-Blemish Moisturiser (75ml)
~ Sukin Foaming Facial Cleanser (125ml)
~ Olay Regenerist Whip Active Moisturiser (10g)
~ Neutrogena Youthful Boost Sleeping Mask (10ml)
~ La Roche-Posay Toleriane Mascara (4.5ml)
~ Garnier Skin Active Matcha + Kaolin Mask (8ml)
~ Dr LeWinn's Ultra R4 Restorative Day Cream (3g)
~ The Base Collective Magnesium Bath Salts (200g)
~ Palmer's Coconut Water Hydrating Sheet Mask (20ml)
~ 7th Heaven Charcoal + Black Sugar Peel Off Mask (10ml)
~ Kotia Hydrating Day Cream (5ml)
~ Kotia Brightening Eye Cream (3ml)
~ Skin Physics Dragon's Blood Soothing Gel Mask (17g) (unfortunately expired 23/07/18)
~ Voucher for $15 discount off a purchase from the Kotia range
~ Voucher for a Clear Skincare Express Microdermabrasion (valued at $59)

I think this is a great bag, especially if you are going to buy skincare anyway. I usually use the opportunity to stock up on my regular items, then add on a few newbies I'm keen to try to reach the qualifying spend. I'm a bit disappointed the Skin Physics Gel Mask expired last year and I'm not sure what to do about it! Do I take my receipt and try to swap it for a good one? I guess I should, right? Great news regarding the Clean Skincare Microdermabrasion too; they do have two locations in Adelaide! I was expecting their Clinics to be Melbourne and Sydney only, but was pleasantly surprised when I checked.