Mecca Beauty Loop Box: Level 1

 

Hi guys! Recently I was shocked to learn I qualified for a Level 1 Mecca Beauty Loop Box. I had a quite long gap of not buying anything at all from Mecca, partly because I just didn't want anything, and partly because I was swayed by all the shit-talk about Mecca and their exorbitant pricing on the Australian Makeup (and possibly also the Aus Skincare) subs on Reddit. But during my Melbourne trip I bought a few things and this must be why I received the email saying I had a Level 1 box to pick up.

Here's what I got in the Level 1 Mecca Beauty Loop Box:

~  Glow Recipe Cloudberry Essence Toner
~ Patchology Serve Chilled Rose Sheet Mask
~ Lanolips x Messina 101 Ointment Multi-Balm Dulce de Leche Gelato
~ Charlotte Tilbury Charlotte's Magic Serum Crystal Elixir

Not gonna lie, I'm very happy with this selection of samples! Firstly, I've never tried Glow Recipe before, so I finally get to with this 5ml toner sample. Although the Charlotte Tilbury sample is tiny (and in a sachet, so I'll have to use it in one go), it's still a brand I'd never buy myself, so I'm happy to be able to try it. The Patchology mask is intriguing, especially since you're meant to store it in the fridge and apply it cold. Maybe I'll wait until Winter is over for this one! And lastly, the Lanolips lip balm, which is a collab with Messina! Being a foodie, I'm excited to try the dulce de leche gelato inspired creation. It smells amazing!

What a great little box of goodies! 

Priceline Skincare GWP Bag + Haul

 

Hi guys! I couldn't resist the latest Priceline Skincare Gift With Purchase (GWP) Bag, mostly because it looked quite good, but also because I needed to pick up some new skincare bits and pieces anyway, so what better time than when it's on special and comes with a bunch of freebies!

Here's what I bought for my qualifying purchase:

~ Skin Physics Dragon's Blood Ultra Plumping Night Cream (50ml)
~ Olay Ultimate Eye Cream (15ml)
~ Olay Regenerist Detoxifying Pore Scrub Cleanser (150ml)
~ Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water Cleanser (500ml)
~ La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel (15ml) (Freebie provided with my order)

Thoughts!

First of all, I'm disappointed with the Olay Ultimate Eye Cream. I specifically wanted something hydrating for under my eyes, but this is too drying and provides almost a mattifying finish meaning applying makeup over the top is difficult. You want concealer to glide and blend not get stuck because of a dry base! I haven't tried the Olay Pore Scrub Cleanser yet, so hopefully that redeems the Olay brand for me!

I'm enjoying the Skin Physics Dragon's Blood Ultra Plumping Night Cream. I got this because I use to use it years ago and loved it, but it's too expensive to buy on the regular so I kind of forgot about it. But I think it was 40% off so I snapped up a jar!

The Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water is probably my favourite micellar water ever. I get the sensitive skin one with the pink lid and it never irritates my eyes when removing eye makeup. I love this, but only get it when it's on special, otherwise I use my trusty Garnier Micellar Water wipes.

Another thing I'm loving is the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Purifying Foaming Gel which was included free in my order. I'm really impressed with this and may even purchase it in the future.

Now let's look at the contents of the free GWP Bag!

~ Dr Lewinn's Ultra R4 Collagen Surge Plumping Gel (30g)
~ Sukin Skin Relief Body Wash (50ml)
~ Clear Skincare Gel Cleanser (125ml)
~ Olay Regenerist Retinol 24 Night Moisturiser (8g)
~ AHC Essential Real Eye Cream For Face (10ml)
~ Skin Physics Vitamin C Hydrating Velvet Mask (1 mask)
~ La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo +M Triple Corrective Care (15ml)
~ Dr PawPaw Lip Balm (8ml)
~ Embryolisse Multi-Function Nourishing Moisturiser (5ml)
~ Bioderma Sensibio Defensive Serum (4ml)
~ CeraVe Facial Moisturising Lotion (3ml)
~ Epzen AHA Exfoliating Body Wash (sachet)
~ Cancer Council Hydrating Serum SPF50+ (sachet)
~ Frank Body Every Day Hydrating Face Wash (sachet)
~ Avene Hydrance Boost Concentrated Hydrating Serum (sachet)
~ and of course, the bag itself!

Thoughts!

Firstly, the navy blue bag with gold zips and purple inner lining is really lovely and a great size for travel, I'm loving it! I'm also really happy with the full size Collagen Surge Plumping Gel from Dr Lewinn's as I was considering this for my qualifying spend. It consists of little pink pearls (which may be a gimmick but I find it fun!). I haven't tried anything from Clear before so I'm keen to try the gel cleanser. Sukin I don't really like as a brand, but at least it's just a body wash and not a facial product. I'm also interested in the Olay night moisturiser with retinol, let's see how I go with that. I'm always happy to try anything from Bioderma and La Roche-Posay as they are two brands I love. CeraVe and Embryolisse are two brands I haven't tried before, so that will be a new experience. The Dr PawPaw Lip Balm I will probably give to my son as I won a huge Carmex lip balm pack and I honestly have enough lip balms to last me for years. All the sachets are great for single use, one use and done. And in a very happy coincidence, included is an AHC Essential Real Eye Cream For Face which I got in the Amazon Advent Beauty Calendar and absolutely adore! I was looking to buy another one and now I don't have to. Yay!

Overall, this was definitely worth getting for me, and I'm so glad I did!

Bath & Body Works Haul!

 

Hi guys! I thought I'd show you my haul from Bath & Body Works. This was from the Black Friday Sale towards the end of last year. I believe it was a buy one get one free deal across all products, or something similar, because I know it came to roughly half what the full cost would have been. I know it's taken me a while to get this post up, but the silver lining is I've been using the products in the meantime, so I've got some thoughts to share instead of just a look at the products. This was my first real foray into Bath & Body Works. Sure, I've looked in the store before, but I hadn't bought anything.

What I bought:

~ Iced Sugar Plum Ultimate Hydration Body Cream
~ Frosted Coconut Snowball Ultimate Hydration Body Cream
~ Strawberry Snowflakes Fine Fragrance Mist
~ At The Beach Fine Fragrance Mist
~ Winterberry Wonder Shower Gel
~ Merry Cookie Scented Candle

The Body Creams are absolutely amazing! I'm seriously in love with both of these fragrances, in particular the Iced Sugar Plum one. As part of my night time routine I put one of these on right before bed and it's so delightful to hop into bed smelling like an absolute snack! They both contain shea butter and hyaluronic acid and they just melt in wonderfully and absorb quickly leaving my skin soft and nourished. I was worried about buying body moisturiser because I never use it, but the scents are so beautiful that I look forward to applying this every night.

The two Fragrance Mists are nice, but I have to remind myself to use them, as I'm deep in my habit of reaching for my YSL Parisienne perfume if I'm on the way out. I guess I could try using these around the house? The bottles are very big and I think they will last me a long time (especially if I keep not using them lol). The Strawberry Snowflakes Mist is fruity and feminine, whereas At The Beach is fresh, crisp and salty. They are both lovely and I really need to find a way to incorporate them into my daily routine.

I'm absolutely addicted to shower gel, so I was excited to try the Winterberry Wonder Shower Gel. It lathers up well (and thus takes a fair while to rinse off) and smells nice, but it's not as strong as I'd like. I am a little disappointed with it to be honest, and much prefer all the Lush shower gels I bought in the Boxing Day Sale (you can read about that haul here). I put Winterberry aside when my Lush haul arrived (plus what I bought instore) and I've so far finished off a Lush Happy Hippy, The Olive Branch and Dirty Springwash shower gel bottles. I'm now using Lush Snow Fairy, but I need to alternate it with B&BW Winterberry so it doesn't go to waste.

The Merry Cookie Candle is honestly one of the best candle fragrances I've ever smelt, and as such, I'm too scared to use it! I haven't started burning it yet and not sure if I will. Every few days I open the lid and inhale the amazing goodness and just revel in how delicious it smells. I will definitely be grabbing more candles in this year's Black Friday sale, because Merry Cookie is just a joy and I want more!

That's my Haul! Hope you enjoyed reading and have a wonderful week!

Product Reveal: Amazon Beauty Advent Calendar!

 

Hi guys! So I finally got around to photographing the contents of last December's Amazon Beauty Advent Calendar (there's been a lot happening) which means I can now actually use the products. Woo hoo! This was a really fun advent calendar comprising 24 windows to open. I'm quite happy with the varied beauty products although I can't speak to value as it was a Christmas gift, so I don't know what it cost. Let's have a look at the contents!

~ Palmer's Cocoa Butter Hand Cream (96g)
~ OGX Biotin & Collagen Oil Mist (118ml)
~ Natio Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser (100g)
~ Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Cream (60g)
~ Bioderma Sensibio H2O Micellar Water Makeup Remover (100ml)
~ AHC Luminous Glow Real Eye Cream (12ml)
~ Grown Alchemist Gentle Gel Facial Cleanser (50ml)
~ Sukin Original Hydrating Mist Toner (50ml)
~ Jack Black All-Over Wash (30ml)
~ NYX Plump Finish Setting Spray (30ml)
~ COSRX The Hyaluronic Acid 3 Serum (20ml)
~ Wella Fusion Intensive Repair Mask (30ml)
~ Weleda Skin Food (Body Lotion (20ml)
~ Olaplex No 3 Hair Perfector (30ml)
~ Mizon Phyto Plump Collagen Serum (30ml)
~ WeDo Shampoo Bar (25g)
~ Schick Hydro Silk Touch-Up 3 Pack Razors
~ 1000 Hour Bambi Lashes (1 pack)
~ GrandeLash  Peptide Lash Enhancing Serum (1ml)
~ Mediheal Teatree Essential Mask (1 pack)
~ Aimeili Builder Base (10ml)
~ Philosophy Hyaluronic Glow Moisturiser Water Cream (7mg)
~ Philosophy Skin Resurrection Overnight Power (7mg)
~ I'm From Rice Toner (30ml)
~ Hugo Boss Boss Bottled (5ml)
~ L'Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara (Black) (4.9ml)
~ L'Oreal Le Khol Naturel by Paradise Eyeliner (Midnight Black) 
~ Maybelline Falsies Surreal Mascara (4.7ml)
~ Maybelline SuperStay Matte Ink in Seductress (mini size)
~ Essie nail polish in Ballet Slippers (5ml)
~ OPI nail lacquer in Esmalte de Unas Nagellack (3.75ml)

There are more than 24 items, because some windows contained multiple products. Which is good considering some of them are mini size! But there are also a few full sized products. Overall I'm really happy with these products as there are some favourites (hello Bioderma Sensibio Micellar Water!), some familiar products I enjoy sometimes and a lot of new-to-me products that I'll enjoy trying out.

Review: Earth:en 4 Step Normal to Combination Skin Routine

 

Hi guys! Recently I was gifted the Earth:en 4-Step Normal to Combination Skin Routine to trial and review on their website, so I thought I'd also post it here in case anyone is interested in the products. I liked these products except for the moisturiser, which unfortunately was a fail for me. Read on for my thoughts!

The Earth:en 4-Step Normal to Combination Skin Routine contains four products; Passionfruit & Pineapple Cleansing Gel - Lychee, Lemon & Finger Lime Refreshing Mist - Mangosteen & Quandong Antioxidant Serum - Papaya & Finger Lime Balancing Moisturiser. First of all, I love the packaging of this skincare range. The white design is simple, clean and elegant and the wooden accents give the products an earthy, modern aesthetic. These products look stylish sitting on my bathroom shelf and beauty table.

The Passionfruit & Pineapple Cleansing Gel uses a pump dispenser, which I really like. The gel itself is clear, with a yellow tinge. I'm enjoying the passionfruit and pineapple fragrance, as I'm a big fan of fruity aromas. I get a nice, gentle cleanse from this, and it leaves my skin feeling clean and fresh, nourished but not dry. I'm also enjoying the gel consistency, as I prefer that texture cleanser over foams, creams and oils.

The Lychee, Lemon & Finger Lime Mist was a refreshing delight when spritzed on the face, especially perfect on a hot Summer's day! I even used this on my arms and chest, and it was effective at cooling me down whilst providing a lovely natural fruity scent to inhale. I used this as a first step in my skincare and makeup routine, as it sinks in nicely and leaves my skin feeling fresh and boosted with a hit of moisture.

The Mangosteen & Quandong Serum has a mid-level consistency and is an off-white coloured serum. The smell to me is herby, earthy and quite strong, but pleasant. This, along with the Mist, are my favourite products from the 4 Step Routine. The serum is lightweight and feels nice and luxurious when applied. It absorbs quite quickly. Although I do like the dropper for dispensing the product, that fact that it's white instead of clear means you can't see how much product you've pulled into the dropper. Results-wise, my skintone looks more even after use, but I'm not noticing any other benefits. However if you're after just a really lovely Aussie serum, you can't go wrong with this one.

The Papaya & Finger Lime Moisturiser is the only product in the line I didn't really enjoy. It has a light, fruity fragrance similar to the other products in the range. It's a lightweight cream, but unfortunately it just didn't want to absorb into my face. I thought it didn't sit well with the mist and serum (even though these products are in a 4 step system and thus designed to work together) so I tried it on my arm that had no underlying products and it still took a very long time to absorb into my skin. It also somewhat separated when I was attempting to rub it in, which wasn't ideal. Even though I'd give the moisturiser a miss, I did enjoy the other Earth:en products in the Normal to Combination Skin Routine line.

Disclaimer: I received these products from Earth:en to review.

Lush Haul: Boxing Day Sale Bargains!

Hi guys! Long time, no blog! Happy New Year... I hope you're all having a lovely 2024 so far. I've decided to blog from time to time, when I've got something to write about. I won't be posting weekly like I was last year, because at times I was having to find things to blog about, just for the sake of keeping up my schedule. But I did buy quite a few things in December, hence this Lush Haul post!

First, let's look at what I picked up, then I'll delve deeper into the products and my Lush online shopping experience. This is a combined Haul, mostly bought online but also a couple of products from the Boxing Day sale in-store.

~ Happy Hippy shower gel (250g)
~ Snow Fairy shower gel (275g)
~ The Olive Branch shower gel (100g)
~ Dirty SpringWash shower gel (100g)
~ Twilight shower jelly (100g)
~ Snow Fairy shower gel (100g)
~ Jingle All The Way Gift
(containing Happy Hippy shower gel 100g + Bouncing Santa shower jelly 85g)
~ Ro's Argan soap sample *free sample* (not pictured)

First of all, can you tell I love shower gels? It's the main thing I buy in a Lush sale and I definitely have my favourites! The two products I bought in-store were the large Snow Fairy shower gel and the Dirty Springwater shower gel 100g, both half price. Being in-store purchases, this all went smoothly.

My online purchases didn't go quite as well. I went straight to the Boxing Day sale section to grab some goodies at half the normal price (since this was my entire reason for shopping) and shopped wholly from there. I had added a Lord Of Misrule soap to my cart which went through as normal at checkout. Later I received an email from Lush saying I was receiving a refund, then a further email explaining there was a glitch in their system and the soap was actually out of stock but the system mistakenly let me add it to my cart. Fair enough, mistakes happen and I was refunded, so I missed out on a half price soap, but that was it.

But something I wasn't too happy about was that the large Happy Hippy shower gel and the Twilight shower jelly I was charged full price for, despite only shopping from the Boxing Day section, where items were on sale for 50% off. I emailed Lush about it and what must have happened was that certain sizes weren't available so I went up to the next size, not realizing that this would be full price (despite being in the Boxing Day Sale section). This should definitely have been made clearer on site and only products that were 50% off should be listed in the BD sale section, not alternate sizes that are full price.

Let's talk about the goodies!

SNOW FAIRY shower gel
'For sparkle like there's snow tomorrow, lather up in candy-sweet suds that shimmer with magic that comes but once a year.'
It's a Limited Edition Christmas special that sweet, fun, pink, pretty and smells delightful. Yes I got both sizes, the small one online, then decided I also needed a big bottle from the city store for this magical cleanser to last me longer!

HAPPY HIPPY shower gel
'A breakfast boost for your body. Full of grapefruit goodness to awaken your skin and enliven your mind.'
I love citrusy fragrances, so the addition of grapefruit juice just makes this gel a zesty, fruity, happiness-inducing experience for me. I love using this in a morning shower to enliven my mood all day.

DIRTY SPRINGWASH shower gel
'A rapturous tingle of menthol crystals, and a crisp breath of spearmint tempts like untrodden snow, galvanising you into action.'
I had never tried this one before, so was excited to pick it up in-store after having smelled it. I was a bit cautious about the menthol, but it's actually rather invigorating. Word of warning - I did get it in a fresh cat scratch and that was not fun (and I probably wouldn't use this on my front bum either lol). The bottle mentions mountain lakes, herbaceous breezes of thyme oil and refreshing open air.

THE OLIVE BRANCH shower gel
'Steadying arms wrap around you, full of sweeping citrus notes and gentle, reassuring warmth.'
This one smells warm, inviting and beautiful. It could almost be a unisex gel. It contains organic olives which are cold-pressed into rejuvenating Fair Trade oil, vine leaf infusion and mandarin juice. No wonder I love this with the citrus theme again!

TWILIGHT shower jelly
'Sleepwalk soundly into the twilight zone with soothing lavender oil lathers.'
Okay I probably shouldn't have bought this online without having smelled it first, because it's not my favourite scent. As explained above, I was charged full price, too!  Oh well, I'll use this at night and hopefully it will help me sleep.

JINGLE ALL THE WAY gift
Contains a small Happy Hippy shower gel + Bouncing Santa shower jelly (pictured below).
I've already talked about Happy Hippy, so on to the Bouncing Santa!

BOUNCING SANTA shower jelly
'Santa Claus is bouncing to town! Making a list, showering twice, gotta find out who's naughty or nice!'
Well that told us nothing lol. But one thing's for sure, my Bouncing Santa sure did bounce around during delivery, because she didn't arrive in the best shape, as you can see from the photo. The Twilight jelly arrived okay, so this Christmas release must have moved around more being inside the gift box. This has a fresh melon infusion, watermelon seed oil and lime juice, making a tropical scent, available only at Christmas. I can't wait to try it!

That's it for my Lush Boxing Day Sale Haul! Hopefully these goodies will last me well into the year.

You can follow my beauty Instagram account here.

Time For a Break

 

Hi guys! After blogging every week since August last year (45 consecutive posts!), the time has come for me to take a break. As much as I love writing, I'm just not feeling it lately, and I'd rather use the time to focus on other parts of my life. This is not the end for Max The Unicorn though! I'm not sure if it will be weeks or months, but I will be back.

You may have noticed that I've also slowed down my Collabs on Instagram. I was originally intending to have a break altogether from Collabs, both on my beauty and food accounts, but I don't mind working on the odd one here and there. Basically I had up to seven Collabs at once at some points in time, and I was overwhelmed, stressed, extremely busy, unhappy and not getting time for anything else. The last few months I've started being a lot more picky with what I'll accept, because it has to be worth it for me now. I'm up in the air about whether I'll get back to continuously collaborating with brands, restaurants/hotels/cafes and PR companies again (I'll play it by ear), but for now it really has to slow down for a while.

I'm feeling a lot happier with my change in priorities, and the balance I'm creating in my life. Specifically on my food account, this will also give me a chance to post all the non-obligated photos I have built up, which I've been wanting to do for a long time, but Collabs always took priority.

If you want to still follow along with what I'm up to, the best place is my food account @imhungrymax where I do enjoy posting Stories every day. But for this blog, I'll see you on the other side of my break! Happy Week, everyone.

Priceline Haul!

 

Hi guys! So I might have done a spur of the moment Priceline Haul last week! I had wanted to try some different volume hair products, and then I saw the Priceline email advertising half price haircare plus double points for one day only, so I took it as a sign and put in an order, lol. How good are sales? I'm so happy with the amount I saved.

Here's what I got!

HASK Biotin Boost Thickening Shampoo (RRP $17, bought for $8.50)
This is my holy grail shampoo and the only one I ever buy. I usually like to wait until it goes on special though, because it's quite pricey. Yes I consider $17 pricey for a shampoo! I love the results I get and that one shampoo gets all the product out. Before I discovered this thickening shampoo I was using a clarifying shampoo followed by a volumizing shampoo, but no need for two washes with this one.

HASK Biotin Dry Shampoo (RRP $12, bought for $6)
Because I love the HASK Biotin shampoo and conditioner it makes sense to try out the dry shampoo from the range, especially since it's half price. It contains biotin for volume, collagen to fortify and coffee to help boost, which I'm hoping together give a nice plumping, volumizing lift from the roots. I'm an absolute dry shampoo fiend, so it was inevitable that I'd try this eventually.

HASK Biotin Boost Thickening 5-in-1 Leave In Spray (RRP $17, bought for $8.50)
Can you tell I'm a fan of HASK? I'm so keen to try this one as I was looking for a product I could spray in that would give my hair some body and va-va-voom action! Let's hope this does the trick. It's actually crazy how many volume hair products I use, basically every product I own is designed to create body in some way or another. That's how fine my hair is!

John Frieda Volume Lift Thickening Spray (RRP $20.99 bought for $10.49)
John Frieda products have failed me in the past, but I'm going to give them another go with this volume lift thickening spray. Surely one of these products has to work, right? There was no way I was paying full price for something I'm iffy on, so a half price sale is the perfect time to try it out. It was either this or the JF Volume Lift Fine To Full Blow Out Spray Styler but that had a bad review so I went with the thickening spray. Wish me luck!

Thin Lizzy Age Reverse Undereye Treatment Concealer (RRP $34.99, bought for $20.99)
I thought I paid full price for this on Sunday (I know I paid $20.99) but Priceline now have Thin Lizzy products at 40% off and the RRP is listed as $34.99, so I must be wrong? How confusing. Anyway I love my Thin Lizzy Concealer Creme, it really covers everything, so I wanted to give this undereye treatment concealer a go. I got the shade Enchanted Rose.

I hope you enjoyed my haul! Have a great week, guys!

The AfterParty (Spoiler-Free)

 

Hi guys. Last week I watched The AfterParty on AppleTV+ and absolutely loved it! The genre is murder mystery mixed with comedy, and honestly it's just so entertaining and funny. There are only eight episodes, each with a run time of 30-45 minutes, so it's really easy to binge this quickly. Trust me, you will be hooked.

'When a high school reunion's afterparty ends in a death, everyone is a suspect. A detective grills the former classmates one by one, uncovering potential motives as each tells their version of the story - culminating in the shocking truth.'

Each episode is told from the perspective of a different character, as Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) interviews the various suspects. Sam Richardson is so likeable as Aniq. I'm a huge Ted Lasso fan, but didn't recognise him from his role as Edwin Akufo on Ted Lasso until I Googled the cast after watching the whole show! Yasper's (Ben Schwartz) episode is my all-time favourite, as it's filled with hilarious song and dance numbers that are super catchy and fun. Zoe's episode is animated, providing a cute point of difference. Some other notable actors in the cast are Ilana Glazer (Comedy Central's Broad City), Ike Barinholtz (Eastbound & Down, Blockers) and Dave Franco (Warm Bodies, Now You See Me) as pop star/murder victim Xavier. Fun Fact - Dave is the younger brother of actor James Franco.

The cast do a great job in The AfterParty; it's well-written, clever and funny as hell. Make sure you check it out on AppleTV+. There's also a second season coming soon!

You may also like My Top Ten Netflix Recommendations

Have a great week guys!

Mani Monday: Barry M Crystal Rock Textured Nails!

 

Hi guys! Yes it's another Mani Monday, sorry not sorry! I got this Barry M Crystal Rock Textured Nail Paint from Priceline in a 40% off storewide sale and I'm just too excited to try it, so here we are. It was so hard to pick a colour, because they were all so pretty, but in the end I decided on Pink Tourmaline. Having a look at the Barry M website now, I'm thinking I should have picked up Amethyst, Emerald Green and Fluorite too lol!

So this textured finish means it will be an absolute bitch to remove, and if there's ever a time to apply a base coat, this would be it. However, I can't find my base, so I guess I'm royally fucked. The good news is at least you don't need a top coat. These paints are super glittery and meant to change as they dry. Pink Tourmaline applied really well, but was a bit thin after one coat, so I applied two. The rough texture finish means it would be more forgiving with smudges. I found that the paint can get a little gloopy/thick on the brush towards the end of an application, but this really wasn't a problem.

I will say that rough finish, non-shiny, colour-shift type polishes are a nightmare to photograph! I found it so hard to get good shots of both the bottle (especially since it also had gold font on the packaging) and my mani. The camera just doesn't pick up all the glittery shifty goodness. This was the best I could do.

I really love this look! The colour is so pretty and all the gold glittery particles as you move your nails are stunning. The non-smooth finish take a little getting used to, but I would definitely pick up more from the Crystal Rock collection from Barry M to try more colours.

I will now leave you with pics of my textured look nails. The last pic is of some of the Crystal Rock collection, taken from the Barry M website. Have a great week!

Credit: Barry M website

Huge Kmart Haul!

 

Hi guys! So I went a bit crazy and bought a few things online from Kmart recently. I was actually trying to redeem a gift card I had won. And I say 'trying' because, well, it seems you cannot use gift cards for Kmart online, only in-store. I probably should've read the fine print on the back of the card before spending an hour picking out the perfect items lol. Anyway, I decided to just pay for it, because I'd put in the work and I wasn't closing my browser without actually making all this pretty home decor mine. Enjoy!

I've been looking for a throw rug to drape over my white boucle computer chair, so when I saw this Anko Boucle Throw in White ($28) I couldn't believe it. A perfect match! An absolute no-brainer, in the basket it went.

Next, it's off to fake plant town, as I cannot keep a real plant alive to save myself. I got the Artificial Rubber Plant in Curved Pot ($10) and am really happy with how cute it is. I bought the Artificial Flowers in Wave Vase ($17) and even though it looks really pretty, the leaves at the back are a bit bent. I've since visited a Kmart store and they basically squash them into shelves that aren't high enough, so they're all like this.

I think I added the 4 Anko Glazed Mini Bowls ($6) at the end to make it to $100 and thus use all of my gift card (little did I know the drama that would follow!) but I mean, what a find at only $6. They are all different colours but look great together or separately. I love them! Side note - I kind of went over the $100, but who's keeping track lol.

I don't know if I've been living under a rock, but I haven't really seen anything like these pretty flower diffusers before? I don't buy diffusers normally so maybe these have been around forever, who knows!  I picked up the Floral Reed Diffusers in Elderflower & Coconut and Orange Flower & Amber ($12 each). So cute! I also got a small Lime & Coconut Floral Reed Diffuser ($2.50) because the fragrance is right up my alley!

I don't know about you, but storage containers always come in handy in my house. I got the Small Cut Out Edge Storage Tub ($3.50) and the super cute White Mini Bucket ($3.50) even though I don't know what I'll use them for lol. I have so much shit I know they'll get used. I also jumped at the Anko Adhesive Vinyl in Terrazzo ($3) pattern with a backing board for photography shoots in mind. I don't have anything like this pattern in my collection, so I was happy to find this!

Yes, I bought a lot of candles! I just couldn't resist this gorgeous pack of 3 Fragrant Candles in Pastry Delight ($15). The fragrances are Pear Cobbler, Berry Danish and Vanilla Tarte with an 'e'. WITH AN 'E'! The three different coloured patterned glass jars in grey, purple and gold are stunning, too. I'm in love! Standby for the rest of the candles...

I loved the look of the grey and white striped Citrus and Marine Embossed Reactive Fragrant Candle ($12) even though I don't know what 'reactive' means in this context lol. It smells fresh and looks good, and is probably the dearest single candle I bought. The Out Of Office Soy Blend Fragrant Candle ($4) smells of citrus, bitter orange and sage, and you're probably getting an idea of my favourite types of aromas by now! I couldn't resist the Prosecco Pear Medium Fragrant Candle ($5.50) purely because of the scent, however I've bought this range before and am not a fan of how the sticky glue from the packaging remains on the candle. I like things to look perfect, no flaws allowed, especially my pet peeve, sticky residue from packaging. Lastly, I bought the Arch Shaped Pillar Candle ($5) and the Pink Bubble Candle ($5) merely for decoration (I don't think they even have a fragrance?) because they look interesting and will add character to a room.

Whoa! That's my epic Kmart Haul, I hope you enjoyed!

Blast From The Past ~ Lunch Series: Two Bit Villains Soda Bar

Or 'The One Where Two Meat-Eaters Unknowingly Dine At A Vegetarian Eatery'

EDIT - Guys, I'm re-publishing this post from 2016 as a Blast From The Past, mainly because I ran out of time to blog (eeek!). This week my son is doing work experience, so hopefully I'll have plenty of time to write, so there will be a proper one next Monday. Two Bit Villains is still operating in the heart of the city, so this is still relevant and hilarious, but they may have changed their dishes since seven years ago lol. The tags on the pics are my beauty account but I now have a dedicated food account on Instagram called @imhungrymax so feel free to follow me there. Hope you enjoy the post!

Two Bit Villains
Shop 150
Balcony Level, Adelaide Arcade
Adelaide

LOL. I'm still not living this down. I surprised hubby with my choice of lunch date location last week, and he was pretty amused/appalled/surprised alright when he looked at the menu. I don't know how I missed this, because I did research Two Bit Villains online before proudly making my decision, but all the meat words were in quotes. For example, panko-crumbed "chicken", housemade pressed "beef" and spice-rubbed "pulled pork". ALL THE MEAT WAS FAKE. Oh My God, we laughed. We laughed, we laughed some more, and then as staunch Carnivores, we widely avoided ordering the fake meat. I looked at hubby and could see him mentally crafting the story he would tell his workmates upon his return. This tale would not feature me in a favourable light. Anyhoo, I ordered, said no to all the vegan and dairy-free options, and returned to our table. And thus began our one hour experience as vegetarians.

Drinks: I ordered a Passionfruit Hand-Crafted Botanical Soda which was very subtle in flavour and low in bubbles. My husband had a Tummy Tonic Soda Float (ginger, citrus, mint, star anise and icecream) which came in a jar (naturally) and was quite nice.

Food: I had the Onion Rings Burger (if you read this post you'll be aware of my onion ring addiction) which was lettuce, tomato, cheese on a bun stuffed with onion rings and a swirl of tomato sauce and mustard. I picked Tater Tots as my side, probably just so I could shove them in my pockets later like Napoleon Dynamite. This was a good sized meal. I mean we are talking generous servings here. I basically couldn't finish it and hubby just managed to eat his but couldn't finish mine. This never happens (he always has the ability to finish my food). I'm pretty sure the cheese was real and the burger was good. The tater tots were good. I enjoyed and was super-full afterwards. My husband got the Nacho! Nacho! Man meal with guacamole (a basket of crunchy tortilla chips topped with housemade salsa beans, grated carrot, corn, spring onions, sour cream and cheese). He said it was really nice, even the beans which he normally doesn't like. He had onions rings as a side, and obviously we shared the tater tots and onion rings, because of my #onionringaddiction. The onion rings were super crunchy and delicious! 10/10 for the onion rings!

Fun Fact: Adelaide Arcade is supposedly haunted. I was on the look out for ghosts, but disappointingly, did not meet any on the day in question. Although the pale look on hubby's face when he saw the menu came close.

Ambience: I loved the cute, funky decor, the quirky arches and the large opening out to Rundle Mall that provided a welcome breeze. We were told if we sat on a long table we may have to share, so we made a beeline for the high tables with stools along the wall. Our table was quite private and plenty fun! There weren't a ton of other diners, perhaps another four or five tables of people. The staff were all friendly and capable, no issues there whatsoever. I'm glad it didn't get super-busy. Overall, quite a lovely dining atmosphere.

I'm not gonna lie, we've probably eaten everything off the menu that we want to, with the possible exception of the Frozen Choc Peanut Pie dessert. I don't think we'd return, even though it was a pleasant surprise!

You may also like: Lunch Series - Bread And Bone Wood Grill

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Disclaimer: Non-sponsored. We paid for our own meals and all thoughts are my honest, unbiased opinion.