Colour Pop Haulin' & First Impressions

When it comes to social media hyped brands it doesn't get any more hyped than ColourPop Cosmetics. Not only are their product launches more lust worthy and exciting than their last, their products are incredibly affordable with a colour range that is simply gorgeous, AND with so many formulas to choose from it's no wonder that so many of us are left itching to get our hands on them and see what the hype is all about - me included. But as ColourPop is usually not so easy to get your hands on in Australia, it is safe to say that my ColourPop wishlist has been under construction and perfectly curated for a very very long time now.

However, that all recently changed and like nearly every single other beauty obsessed individual on Instagram, I too also took advantage of one of their latest Free International Shipping promotions - I mean you would be absolutely crazy not to right!? And boy oh boy am so glad that I finally took the plunge. As a ColourPop ~ virgin ~ I couldn't wait to see if their products would live up to their expectations. Let's take a peek at my small (but growing) ColourPop Collection and my first impressions on their products .

Why you Need this Epilator on your Radar for Summer

It seems that spring has well and truly sprung here in Sydney and summer is definitely not showing any signs of slowing down any time soon. I don't know about you guys, but I kinda have a love hate relationship with warmer weather. Yes I love wearing less layers, floaty sundresses, lot's of coral orange lippy, enjoying balmy evenings and countless days spent beachside - but all of that good stuff means that more skin is suddenly on show.

Now, I am extremely pale (can you tell by my hand above) and add that in with the fact that the peach fuzz that have been sporting on my legs for the last few months is suddenly gone out of style, I often find myself in a high maintenance pickle every week. It goes a little something like this - shave, exfoliate, tan, moisturise, exfoliate repeat. No one really has the time or energy for that right? Or just me? Call me lazy but I am never ever bothered for those shenanigans every darn week. That's where this baby comes in, the Philips Satinelle Advanced Wet & Dry Epilator*. It may look a tad scary, but I'm here to tell you why you need this Epilator on your radar for silky smooth legs all summer long.

Want a Long Lasting Matte Base? Then this is the Foundation for you...

Ever found yourself glancing at the bathroom mirror at lunchtime and discovered with shock horror that your once matte and flawless complexion has now transformed into something that closely resembles an oil slick? Because me too. On one too many occasions to count.

If you have oily skin like me, you might understand the struggle of finding a foundation that not only manages to last all day but doesn't leave you looking like you have just doused yourself in oil by 12pm. And when you experience that life changing moment of discovering the one, you stockpile that stuff like it is getting discontinued, but that's until your inner beauty addict reemerges and demands you try out some more foundations - because who are we kidding, where else are we supposed to get our kicks if we aren't constantly trying and buying new beauty products!?

However, over the last 3 months I've managed to stick with using just one base (I know, I'm just as shocked as you). The foundation that I have fallen in love with is the Becca Ever-Matte Shine Proof Foundation* and if you follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed this guy making an appearance or 5 - that's how much I have been loving it! Read on to find out why...

Tried & Tested | Dermalogica's IonActive Power Treatment

Uhh wowzaaa! It seriously feels like forever and a day since I did my last blog post - just over 2 months to be exact! What can I say? It has been a CRAZY busy few months both in my work life and personal life, you know how it gets right? One minute it was July and next thing I know we are suddenly in September, golly damn. Unfortunately blogging had to take a back seat for a little while, but now I'm slowly starting to get back into the swing of things and fingers crossed will hang around for the time being in blogging land! I missed you all so much!

So I thought today's post would be a little review of a treatment that I was luckily enough to try back in July (feels like so long ago now!) If you have been keeping up with my past blog posts you would be no stranger to my love for Dermalogica, so when I was asked to try their new IonActive Power Treatment naturally my answer was a resounding yes. Dermalogica are one of the very few brands whose products get along so well with my skin, and who I am to break up a good thing going? Plus, who doesn't love a sneaky facial every now and again?

Empties #4 | Things I've used up

It feels like forever and a day since I did my last empties post. I seriously take my hat off to all of you who are able to finish off enough products to do monthly empties, for realzz I do not have that sort of discipline. I have this horrible habit of using a product till it is about 3 quarters empty, then moving on to something new and faaaaanccyyy before I actually finish it off. Consequently I have a sizeable collection of products that are almost empty, but not quite enough to throw away (I could probs do a post on all those buggers instead, let me tell you).

So I have been really really really trying to restrain myself lately, step away from all the glittery new things that come my way and actually finish some things off. It's still not a lot (baby steps people, baby steps) but here a few things that I have used up lately. Let's talk trashy.

Winter Beauty Survival Kit

Forgive me for being horribly cliche, but it is well and truly winter here in Sydney. As I sit to write this post it has been cold and pouring rain all weekend - but I ain't complaining, helloooo to staying in bed with a cup of tea and watching TV all day! Winter is definitely one of my favourite seasons. I love nothing better than snuggling under mountains of blankets, thick coats and woolly scarves - and of course rocking a good ole berry lip. My skin on the other hand, a completely different story. My skin in winter is notorious for becoming a dry scaly mess, so just like I switch up my wardrobe, I must do the same with my skincare routine. As my skin is oily at the best of times, adding extra hydration can be tricky tricky business. These are the skincare products that I have been currently using to help me get through the next 3 months ahead.

Current Evening Skincare Routine for Oily & Blemish Prone Skin

If you have been reading my blog for a bit now you might have a teeny tiny inkling about how passionate I am about skincare. Lotions, potions, serums, oils, creams, toners, acids, mists and peels - you name it, I have definitely tried it at some point. But if there were one part of the whole skincare shindig that I wholeheartedly endorse, would sponsor the process if it were remotely possible, and would profess my love to, would be hands down a proper evening skincare routine. I can't be the only that seriously loves going through the process of a nightly skincare routine, right? Surely? Come on guys...
 
There is just something that I find so therapeutic and methodical about following my nightly skincare ritual every evening ( and before you ask, yes I sometimes can get lazy too, but never lazy enough to not remove my make-up... gross), it is my way of winding down for the day. However, it hasn't always been this way for me. As someone who suffered from really horrible acne as a teenager I always had a love hate relationship with my skin and consequently skincare, especially when products time and time again failed to improve my skin (you can read all about my skin story here)

Like I previously mentioned in my morning skincare routine, my skin is very oily but can also be a bit dehydrated at the same time, can get quite congested and is prone to the odd breakout or three (fun fun fun!) I thought it were about time I shared my current evening skincare routine with you.

Kylie Lip Kit and Glosses | My Experience, First Impressions & Swatches

I have a (not so secret) confession to make. I have a complete and utter obsession with the Kardashian/Jenner clan. My camera roll and Pinterest boards are overflowing with their slayin' outfits and make-up looks, I may skip your snapchat story but I will never skip theirs, I love Nori/Penelope/Mason/Reign like they were my own children, my friends know exactly who I am talking about when I refer to any of them by first name in a conversation (because who else would I be talking about...) and you better believe that I did download Kimoji pretty much as soon as it was released - my obsession quite literally knows no bounds.

Now I know what you're thinking - why, why, WHY? And that my friends is a question I can't even answer myself. It is an obsession a few years in the making and I am not ashamed, not even one bit. So naturally as soon as I heard that King Kylie herself was releasing her own line of lipsticks I couldn't contain myself, I had to have them in my life one way or another. It was like all my prayers had finally been answered, my two long time loves were coming together and better yet I could FINALLY achieve that infamous KJ pout.*

For months I waited to get my very own Lip Kits. But y'all know the deal, they are almost impossible to get your hands on. So it seemed I would never own one after all (*insert sobs here*). Until one day a fellow obsessed friend and I decided that it was time we finally took action. We found out when the next re-stock date was and we quite literally prepared for battle.

Product Round Up | 4 Concealing Favourites

Whether we like it or not, the sad truth is that our skin exposes all of our dirty lifestyle secrets. Stayed up later than you should have last night? Hello dark under-eye circles. Indulged a little too much on vino and cheese on Friday? That may explain that irruption of pimples on your chin. But lucky for us that is where concealer comes in. Concealers promise to help camouflage skin imperfections, reawaken the skin and fight signs of fatigue, illunminate under the eyes and pay all your bills on time (if only!) With so many available on the market from pots to tubes and doe foot applicators it may be a bit tricky to figure out which is the best for you and how to make them work hard for their money. I've rounded up my concealing favourites with my tips and tricks on how to make them work.

Today I am Grateful for...

How often do you take the time to really take a step back, breathe and have a moment to actually appreciate your life? I know I definitely don't do it often (or at all if I am being honest!) If you are anything like me, you might get easily swept in the busyness of your day to day life. Between juggling a full-time job, my blog and just life in general, sometimes I get frustrated and stressed out with how many things I have on my plate at any given time. But some are not as lucky as I am. Sure, I have my own struggles and roadblocks in life but I never really appreciate the life that I have. I barely spare a thought to be grateful to be as busy as I am, to have the opportunities that I am presented with, and the family and friends that I have supporting me.

So with this Circa Home candle and Gratitude Notepad having just arrived on my door step, what better time than the present to take a moment to appreciate and be grateful for the things I have in my life.

March Beauty Favourites

I could swear that it was Christmas only a few weeks ago, but here we are sitting in April already 4 months into 2016! Maybe it is just my old age (cough) but this year is flying by and I just need it to take it down a notch and slow down just a teeny bit, pretty please? As I sit down to write this post I just realised that I didn't do a Feb Faves post. These posts are definitely one of my favourites to write (and read) as it is always so interesting to see what have been your go-tos over the whole month - who else enjoys monthly favourites? 

February and March have both been crazy busy months for me hence why my posts have been a bit slack lately, but I also feel like my February Favourites would have been very similar to my January Favourites anyway as I wasn't reaching for anything new. However March and the start of Autumn (though it very much still feels like summer most days) saw me using a whole bunch of new things and with it of course comes some new favourites! So let's get right on down to the nitty gritty. 

An introduction to Alpha-H | A-List Kit Review

Like the true skincare junkie that I am, there is nothing better than sampling a new selection products and seeing how they perform on my skin. For the past month and a bit I have been trialing the Alpha-H A-List Kit*, and in true Alpha-H form these products have been delivering the goods.

The kit comes with 5 of Alpha-H's award winning AHA products, including the infamous Liquid Gold. I have previously tried and reviewed Liquid Gold before, so knowing how well it already worked with my skin I was excited to incorporate similar products into my routine - this girl loves her AHA's people!

The 5 Product Face

Some days I am really just not bothered to put on a 'full face' of make-up - you know those days I'm talking about. On a daily basis working in the beauty industry,  I sometimes feel the pressure to look made up (especially at events or meetings!), so my usual everyday face would definitely have to consist of more than 10 products easily - it definitely helps that I love putting on the stuff regularly! But on the days where I just couldn't be bothered or on the weekends where I still want to wear a bit of make-up but want my skin to breathe a little, these are the products that are my current go-tos and ones that I have been reaching for lately. Let's talk my 5 product face.

5 of the Best Face Masks for Congested & Oily Skin

Sometimes there is nothing better than a great face mask. For me, they're the key to a great pamper session to really wind down on a Sunday evening (or any evening really, let's be serious). Not to mention, they are ultimate product when your skin is playing up and messing around. Skin feeling a bit congested or oily? There's a face mask for that. Feeling a bit lackluster or maybe a bit dull in your complexion? Face mask it. Or maybe your skin is feeling dry and dehydrated? There is definitely a face mask for that too.  Face masks have to be one of my favourite skincare products for sure. And one my favourite type of masks are those targeted towards congested and clogged pores, absorbs excess oil and brightens your skin tone (all that fantastic delicious stuff we love...) If you read my last my post about my Morning skincare routine, then y'all already know that my skin can be quite a pesky little things and is quite oily and blemish prone. So a clearing mask is something I use at least once a week as I find they are best way to whip my skin back into shape if it has been feeling a bit off. But first, what makes a good face mask for congested, oily and acne prone skin?

Current Morning Skincare Routine for Oily & Blemish-Prone Skin

If there is one thing that I am, it is definitely a skincare junkie. I love a good skincare haul and I am always on the look out for the latest and greatest skin potions. My love for all things skincare began when I realised the magic of what the right products can do for your skin. All throughout my teen years I suffered from quite horrible acne that did quite a number on my self-confidence and consequently I absolutely hated my skin and saw skincare as a chore.

It wasn't until my dermatologist introduced me to a new set of products that worked wonders for my skin that I began to really appreciate the importance of a proper skincare routine and started learning about the different ingredients that are beneficial for my skin. I've talked about my skin a few times on my blog before (you can read all about my skin story here) but in cased you missed it, my skin is very oily but can get quite dry at the same time, can get quite congested and is prone to the odd breakout or three (so much fun...)

After many years of trial and error I have collected a bunch of products that I know work well for my skin at the moment, so I thought I would share with you my current morning skincare routine. Now, I am no skincare expert and obviously what works well for my skin will not always work well for others even if your skin type is similar to mine! But you can definitely use this as a guide for what products or ingredients to keep an eye out for.

January Beauty Favourites

Yep you guessed it - it's that time of the month, again. January has pretty much whizzed right on by (and so is 2016 if we are being quite frank) but let's not dwindle too much on that fact because we could be here for a while. But in saying that, I do love me some February cz birthday month. Sadly I'm not getting any younger (a girl can wish), but who doesn't love birthdays!? I know I do.

But you know what I also love? The products pictured above - let's talk January beauty favourites.

Take it off | 3 of the Best Make-Up Removers

As much as I deeply love and absolutely adore make-up and slathering it all over my face, there is just something so dangggg satisfying about removing it all at the end of the day - who else is with me?

Lately, these are the 3 products that I have been reaching for to take it all off in the evening, and they are definitely the best of the make-up removers that I have tried so far. On a regular day I usually will use a combination of Bioderma Micellar water and the Dermalogica Soothing Eye- Make-Up Remover as my first cleanse, but on days when I feel like my skin just needs something a lil somethin' extra or I have been particular heavy handed in my make-up application that day (whoops) I will reach for my Clinique Take The Day Off cleansing balm. After removing my make-up with any of the above products I then go to town with my second cleanse and the rest my skincare routine, which I will post about soon (and if you're not double cleansing you need to ask yourself why the heck not?!) But let's get on to the nitty gritty of each product shall we?

Benefit They're Real! Push-Up Liner | Is it Worth the Hype?

I have been meaning to write this post for the looooongest time. But to be honest guys, I didn't really want to. I really wanted my experience with this product to go down a completely different way. I wanted to be singing my praises from the roof tops for this product, I really really did. But I feel like this is the first time I have ever been so disappointed in a product that had been so widely raved about and I just had to share my two cents worth.

When Benefit first announced that they were releasing the Benefit They're Real Push Up Liner I was admittedly quite beside myself with excitement. Firstly, I love their mascaras, especially the They're Real one which I wrote about here. And secondly, why wouldn't I be? Nearly every gal here knows THAT struggle of achieving the perfect wing, and to this day I can probably only count achieving that level of greatness on one hand (and that may even be an overstatement, sad I know). Like nearly everyone else I was itching to get my hands all over this eyeliner. I seriously looked forward to a future that held fuss-free even wings. And it sounded like it ticked all the right boxes too: innovative click pen? Tick. Smooth long-lasting gel? Tick. Flexible slanted tip? Tick - practically a fool proof one-way ticket to cat eye perfection.

US Beauty Haul | Sephora & more

If you follow me on Instagram or Snapchat (and if you don't you know what to do... ) you may know that at the end of last year just before Christmas I went to Hawaii for a few days. For us Aussies, visiting pretty much any other country (let's be honest, hellooo Duty Free), but especially the US means serious business for our beauty lovin' selves - and of course our poor wallets.

Fortunately in late 2014 and 2015 we were FINALLY blessed with Sephora and a whole bunch of other brands (I'm looking at you Urban Decay) that previously weren't available in Australia so there isn't so much we are missing out on anymore. However the price difference still makes my bank account cry. So a trip to the US still equates to a massive beauty haul.

Though I personally think my haul is quite tame this time round seeing as I went to mainland USA in the beginning of 2015 and our exchange rate is just a tad devastating at the moment. So if you're planing a trip to the US or just want to take a bit of a snoop to what I bought, read on ladies and gents, read on! Most of my purchases are from Sephora with a few drug store and MAC purchases as well.

Beauty Favourites from 2015

Happy New Year beauties! I'm not going to bang on too much about how quickly 2015 went (because we all know how fast time whizzes by) but seriously the last few months of 2105 were an absolute blur for me and I didn't even realise that I haven't posted in a while! If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that the last few weeks of 2015 also saw me traveling to Hawaii, so except to see a US beauty haul coming your way soon! 2015 was pretty amazing for me - plenty of downs but even more ups. I hope 2015 was everything you wanted and more but let's bring on 2016 with a few of my beauty faves from the past year shall we? (Full disclosure: It's a rather long one!)

2015 was a HUGE year for beauty and it was extremely hard for me to select only a few products to make the cut as my 'favourites' for the whole year. But when I really sat down to narrow it down it was quite obvious that I was reaching for these products for pretty much the whole year round (or at least since I bought them!)