MONTHLY FAVOURITES - JULY

MONTHLY FAVOURITES - JULY 2015

I have acquired a stack of goodies this last month, and luckily there weren't many regrets, so instead of doing a monthly fav and regret blog I thought I would share to you just my favourites,
so lets begin =)

With this Months Favourites, I spread it out quite a bit across all fields of beauty.

I know some of you, tend to not be too bothered when it comes to skincare but I truly believe, if you want to work with a good base, you gotta take care of dat base.

Im obssesed when it comes to skincare, I think just as much as makeup. Don't get me wrong, I have woken up a few times to makeup stained pillows but mostly I have a very strict skincare regime and recently this beautiful product has become the saviour to all cleansing.

Skin Physics Derma Sonic Power Cleansing Brush
Purchased for only $50.00Aud, it was on special at the time for half price and I couldn't resist testing it out.

I had heard in passing that Cleansing Brushes are the way to go for a skincare regime and I don't know why I didn't convince myself earlier to get it, obviously being on special helped.
The words that came out of my mouth when I first used this brush were -
"Oh god, that is disgusting"
The amount of makeup, dead skin and dirt that this beauty managed to take off was impressive. I can't even imagine at how much makeup must've been left on my skin, when I was just using my hands.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub
I am so happy I purchased this because it is soooo delicious!

Scrolling on pinterest I knew that this product was apparently quite easy to make but, I can hardly get my eggs right let alone make my own lip scrub, so when it finally came to getting my favourite shower gel from Lush, I included this cute little pot of goodness into my basket for $9.95Aud.

I wasn't to fond of the sound of their popcorn lip scrub, so I ended up choosing Bubblegum and my favorite part is actually being able to lick it off.

What you do is, scrub it onto your lips, to get rid of dead, flaky skin and then you lick it off. What I didn't expect it to do was nourish my lips at the same time, perfect for a winter essential, and prepping the lips.

Skin Doctors Gamma Hydroxy
This is a skin treatment for nearly everything imperfect to the skin.
It corrects breakouts, scarring, pores, dullness, fine lines, wrinkles, uneven skin tone, sun damage and pigmentation.
Seriously.
Think of it like pacman, once this is on the skin, it will literally find and eat any imperfection you may have.
I suffer from uneven skin, pigmentation, dullness and the odd breakout.
I am not kidding, when I have an odd breakout, i'll put this on the following night and the next morning my spot has drastically reduced.
I bought this $50.00Aud and it is my holy grail skin treatment, I wont be able to live without this.

Nude By Nature Pressed Bronzer

Recently Nude by Nature brought out their pressed range, and this last month I have been constantly reaching for this bronzer to give a bit of colour to my cheeks and use it as a prepper before contouring with a different shade.
It's so pigmented and find it to be that perfect warm tone bronzer, completely matte and easy to blend out.

I bought this for $39.95Aud.

It might seem a bit pricey, but this will last for ages and I would recommend to look out for specials.



Gucci Bamboo Perfume

I was lucky enough to attend training/seminar to the company who produce Gucci, and got an insight to their new perfume, Gucci Bamboo.

This size is just a little 5ml size, that they gave to us as a little treat, and I am in love.

Its a Floral/woody scent, with its main notes being ylang ylang, lily, orange blossom, sandalwood and vanilla.

If you're a lover for fresh, floral, woody fragrance, I would highly recommend testing this one out.




There you have it, my first Monthly Favourites for July 2015, hoped you enjoy, catch ya soon
Instagram - beautybybananas
Youtube - coming soon

CURRENT EMPTIES. WILL I REPURCHASE?

CURRENT EMPTIES. WILL I REPURCHASE?

I have been so excited to do a post on my current empties. These products, I have been accumulating over the last 3 months.

I see the 'Current Empties' all the time being shown on youtube, and I don't know what it is, but like many other viewers, I can't get enough of them.

I don't have Youtube...YET
but I do have a blog, so alas, lets begin my Current Empties and Will I Repurchase?

Lets begin with the one, i'm sure some of you are thinking 'That looks extremely old!'
Well...thats because it is -
Fudge Violet Toning Shampoo
This bottle of Fudge's Toning Shampoo, I have had for, oh, let's say, 3 years.
It's their older packing, you'll now see the normal packing in stores a lot more vibrant and purple looking.
The reason this bottle is 3 years old is because i have a tendency to change my hair colour so often.
I'm currently a strawberry blonde, and that's only because my vibrant orange hair colour has faded.
Before that I was a platinum blonde, and boy oh boy did this shampoo do wonders!

Every Time my hair started to show a little bit of gold, I would chuck this bad boy in for a few minutes and BAM, brand new, platinum blond hair again.
It comes out a hardcore purple colour. The instructions do say to leave it up to 5 minutes, but honestly, you'll probably come out of the shower with purple/silvery hair. Not that there's nothing wrong with that, sounds like my possible next hair colour?
The formula is really creamy and lathers up a heap in your hair. The scent to this is almost bubblegum smell, and I found that it didn't dry my hair out as some can do. I picked this up for $19.99
Would I Repurchase - 100% YES!

Next is an Australian Cosmetic brand -
Face Of Australia Face Base Primer
I picked this up when Priceline was having their 40% off ALL cosmetics, so it was an absolute bargain.
I am very picky when it comes to primers, and have heard so many raving reviews on this one. The reason it's been so popular is because it has the exact same ingredients as a popular Napoleon Perdis Primer, which I believe is around $40-50Aud.
Aside from being drawn in by that and that they don't test on animals, it's also the best value on the market. It's a 50ml size for only $11.95Aud. That right there is amazing value. If you check, most primers will normally be the standard size of 30mls, I have even seen some to be 10 ml for double the cost. So value wise, brilliant.
Some of the ingrediants contain Vitamin E and Chamomile, sounds great but will those ingrediants really make my makeup stay?
Once on the skin, its feels really nice and sets to a slight tacky feel, which is good, although was I impressed?
It was fine.
Nothing amazing, nothing horrible. I couldn't really tell a huge difference to my makeup staying power but its definitely not the worse one on the market.
Would i repurchase?
Honestly, probably not, but if i was on a tight budget, possibly.

Next is a Skincare Company
Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron Moisture Jelly
This is a gel based serum/treatment for your skin.
Its so pure and potent in Hyaluronic acid, which is the queen of acids in my opinion. Please dont be turned off by the word acid, there are so many acid goodness for your skin. Hyaluronic acid is basically a huge, and I mean HUGE drink of water for your skin, meaning its hydrates, plumps, and evens your moisture levels. I can't get enough of the Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron. Its just...perfect!
I use this as a serum/treatment, so I will then continue on with a moisturiser afterwards. The feeling when the gel touches your skin and sinks in is heaven. You instantly feel your skin is appreciating the big drink you've just given it. No dry skin will occur after using this. I also love it for the fact it's a pump, so you get give the perfect pea size, which is enough for your face, as well as the packaging, it's pink!
I bought this for $39.99 which I feel is really good value for something that's a very potent formula.
Would I repurchase?
Yes, yes, yes! I can not stress enough how all skin should have a big drink of Hyaluronic acid and I will always recommend and purchase Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron for this reason.

Another skincare empty,
Dr Lewinns Line Smoothing Complex S8 Super Hydrator.

Now yes, this and Indeed Laboratories Hydraluron are a little similar in the facts it's gel based and also a big drink for your skin, but Dr Lewinn's one is a little more complex, I mean, the name literally says it.

I do belive they have actually replaced this treatment and made it ten times better which is now called Triple Action Day Defence.

Dr Lewinns Line Smoothing Complex S8 Super Hydrator will do a little bit more for your skin other than hydrating it. It contains some key ingredients, which makes it quite unique, some of them are;
Snap 8 which is a 'hallelujah' ingredient for skin suffering from fine lines and wrinkles. Snap 8 is an alternative to botox, so no nasty injections in this bottle. It also contains Argireline and vitamin B, again these ingredients help with lines as well as moisture.
The consistency is quite runny and also a pump, a little does go a long way. Instantly my skin feels refreshed and hydrated and I strongly believe this helped the faint lines I suffer from around my eyes kept at bay. Now i've run out, I do feel that my skin is missing this beautiful product and not getting the treatment and moisture it needs to combat those darn lines around the eyes.
I picked this one up at quite a good price as it was on a clearance end, seeing they do have a new formula out but usually I think it retailed at $79.95. You might think this is a little pricey, but like i said before, a little goes a long way and the formula is perfect for all skin types suffering from dry skin/ lines and dullness. Trust me you won't regret this one, or should I say the Triple Action Day Defence
Would I repurchase?
Technically, I can't, but I would purchase The Triple Day Defence rrp $69.99, as i'm pretty sure this is what replaced my beloved Super Hydrator.  I miss using this product so much, and would have to put some pennies aside to treat my skin to this but wow, it is so worth it.

Moving onto a Cosmetic Range.
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer.

If you keep on scrolling down, after you have finished reading this post, you'll see I have already raved about the Wake Me Up Foundation, well this too is also a rave. I have in fact repurchased this in the shade Ivory and Sand Beige. Sand beige I use to conceal my darkness under my eyes as it has a slight orange tinge, then I highlight with the shade ivory. The formula is really creamy and easy to blend, along with only being rrp$14.95 there is no wrong with this product.
Would I repurchase?
Well... you already know. Yes.

If you're still with me, THANKS!
We are almost done with my current empties, but to continue I present you with another Cosmetic product.
L'oreal False Lash 4D Architect Mascara
Again I purchased this when Priceline was having their 40% off. I liked the idea of the fibres already being inside the formula and not loose, as I haven't had much luck with loose fibres. The brush is nice and simple being a natural bristle, but if you look closely, you can see the fibers on the brush. When I applied this, I noticed the fibres attaching itself to the tips of my lashes, extending them, making them look long and luscious. There's no clumping or dryness from the formula. This one rrp at $21.95
Would I repurchase?
This might come to a shock but no.
Don't get me wrong I really liked this mascara, but I didn't love it, and wouldn't call it my holy grail mascara. I'm always going to be trying out different mascaras, even if I have found 'the one'. I currently have 5 on the go at the moment, and I am very tempted to say Too Faced Better Than Sex is my holy grail Mascara.

And the finale is,
Bioderma Crealine H20 Makeup Remover

This is a micellar water makeup remover/cleanser, and I don't care what any other skincare brand says *cough garnier cough cough* Bioderma was definitely one of the first, to create the micellar makeup remover/cleanser in one.

This is fantastic at removing makeup and cleansing your skin. Waterproof mascara? not a problem. It comes in 2 sizes, this one in the pic being their smallest.
Each size cost-
100ml - $19.99Aud/250ml - $29.99
The best part is it's suitable for ALL skin types, even the most sensitive skin.
I shed a tear everytime I finish one of these bottles, which answers the question
Would I repurchase?
Yes, and I have 3 times.

I hope you enjoyed my Current Empties.Will I Repurchase post.
You can find me on a new Instagram username - beautybybananas  ... It has a better ring to it, don't you think?
Youtube I promise, coming soon!
Cya

NARS SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION REVIEW

NARS SHEER GLOW FOUNDATION REVIEW

I honestly think I am the only makeup artist who hadn't tried/tested, not even a little swatch of the Nars Sheer Glow foundation.
To get a hold of this, its about an hours drive,
UNTIL NOW!
HURRAY HURRAY HURRAY,
BUT
Does it really live up to the hype?
For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you probably know the verdict already, but if not, I shall take you on the magical journey of Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

First, i'll start with a few basic points, ---

- I purchased Nars Sheer Glow from Mecca Maxima for $65Aud.
- The packaging is a gorgeous glass bottle with a twist top lid, making it look simple, modern and classy.
- It's a 30ml size, which 9/10 liquid foundations will be.
- The consistency of the foundation is a medium to thin liquid.
- It states to be a medium coverage.

Okay, so as usual, once the squealing and my breathing had manage to calm down and keep itself at a steady pace, I grabbed my cleanser, and took the current makeup I had on that day, so I had a clean, fresh base to apply on.

Oh, one thing I noticed when I was finding my shade was that Nars tends to have quite a lot of yellow base colours. It was a bit of struggle to find a neutral tone. Not that it bothered me that much, as yellow bases do work for my skin, because of some redness I suffer from.
The shade I chose was Punjabi and it is a Medium 1 shade.
I do recommend asking the ladies at Mecca to have your shade professionally found.
Note - please never try and find your shade on your wrist

This colour was perfect for my skintone, little bit of yellow, but not too much, it gave me that touch of colour/warmth I always tend to lean more towards for.

I applied sheer glow with a Beauty Blender, once I reached the coverage I was after, it only took a few minutes for it to set into the skin.
I then lightly set it with Face of Australia's Translucent Powder and of course added a touch of Hourglass Ambient Wardrobe Palette ( I am obsessed).

It blends really well and builds up easily too, I built it up Medium - Full.

At first glance I was very impressed, it's not a dewy finish, it's not matte or semi matte, its something else!

It's like Photoshop just sprayed its filter goodness on my face.

Blurred? no it's a soft focus finish.
That's the best way I can describe it.

As you can see in the dreadful, hilarious Before/After pic, it really gives a beautiful finish.

So, at first glance, I was impressed but as usual, the staying power was the big test for me.

I've used this foundation four times now, for at least 8-10 hours. What I notice is that the fresh, finish look its give right at the beginning, stays like that all day long.

My t-zone always gets a bit oily throughout the day, and this foundation did not budge when my natural oils came through.

I don't know if I can commit to say this is my Holy Grail Foundation ...

aw what the hell, I can't find any flaws to this foundation,

So,

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation is my Holy Grail Foundation.


I rate this Foundation a 10/10

You can check out more reviews and post on my blog, just keep on scrolling, also catch me on Instagram-
https://instagram.com/muabananas/
Youtube -
coming soon, I promise!

GIRLFRIEND MAGAZINE MODEL SEARCH, MAKEOVERS AND PICS WITH SHANI GRIMMOND

GIRLFRIEND MAGAZINE MODEL SEARCH, MAKEOVERS AND PICS WITH SHANI GRIMMOND

So this week was quite a busy week for me, with work and beauty.

For those of you that don't know, i'm a full time Beauty Advisor at Priceline in Australia.
Priceline is a big Drugstore Beauty/ Skincare/ Haircare and Health Store.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of Priceline's Beauty Advisor to do makeup for the Girlfriend Magazine Model Search.

Each year Girlfriend Magazine presents a competition to find the next GF model. Priceline was one of their sponsors, so off I went to their event for the day.

It was certainly an early start, woke up 4am, left at 6am and got there at 7:30am to set everything up.



The setup was quite luxurious, each beauty advisor had a station to set, tools and makeup in, with everything aside from brushes provided for.

Around 8am there were girls already lining up to audition for the GF model search.

The Makeup that was the main feature was Model's Prefer as it's an exclusive brand to Priceline. 

There is nothing over $25 with their cosmetic and makeup brush range.

A few of my favourites from Models Prefer is their Primers, BB, CC, DD creams and their brushes.

If you're after affordable and good quality makeup and brushes then I would recommend taking a look at Models Prefer.

Oh btw Models Prefer has  a duplicate to Hourglass Ambient powders, only costing $16.99AUD.

Misstango2 from youtube speaks highly of them.
Ill provide link to her channel at the bottom.

Aside from Models Prefer, I also got to play with Eylure and Manicare Glam Lashes, Bioderma and Neutrogena makeup remover.

Before we began the makeovers, I almost fainted getting photos taken with Shani Grimmond. She does the most entertaining videos on youtube along with beauty vids aswell.

I was hoping that I wasn't a complete nerd towards her, unfortunately I couldn't speak words.




"Me.You.Photo?.THAAANKS"

She was so sweet and friendly and was there as a guest Judge.

(pic from instagram #gfpricelinemodelsearch)

As the queue started to build up and I stopped pretending I was BFF with Shani Grimmond, it was time to begin the makeovers.

Our focus was the Eyes and Brows, and was given to the girls who auditioned as a little treat to them. It was their time to relax as the stressful bit was over.

The auditions went from 9am - 1pm and was estimated that 400 girls applied, and roughly 400 girls to do makeup on, between only myself and 5 other Priceline Beauty Advisors.

It was very quick pace, intense 4 hours, fortunately I've had previous experience with having to do fast makeovers, so it was something that I was used to.

(pic from #gfpricelinemodelsearch)

After it was all over they chose their top ten from Queensland. Congrats to all the girls that made it to top ten and well done to everyone who audition, it certainly takes a lot of confidence.






Before leaving for an hour drive home, I of course had to make a quick stop to Mecca Maxima!
Keep an eye out for a review of the goodies that I purchased, coming soon!


Cya's Soon!

Instagram - muabananas
Youtube - Coming SOON!





Links to -
https://www.youtube.com/user/MissTango2
https://www.youtube.com/user/itsshanigrimmond

FAVOURITE DRUGSTORE FOUNDATION FOR WINTER

FAVOURITE DRUGSTORE FOUNDATION FOR WINTER

Recently I saw a foundation that had finally came to Australia, it was Loreal Infallible Matte. It came out probably 3 weeks ago. They advertised full coverage, 24hr hold and matte.
It had set into the skin quickly and I really didn't feel like I was wearing makeup. I thought I was going to give this foundation a pass, until an hour in, my skin was craving moisture. I started to get dry patches and felt like it was aggravating my skin.

Although these were all negatives, I couldn't really judge it properly, because I realised that from the climate change, my skin had drastically changed from a Normal/Combination skin type to Dry Skin. I didn't notice my skin was actually suffering until I tried this foundation.

Of course since then I've upped my moisturizing at night and stuck to the dewy makeup for this season. One thing I don't understand is why Australia decided to bring this foundation out in Winter time when most people's skin changes during the season. Seriously? A full, 24hr hold, matte foundation in Winter time?

Anyways, when it's not so cold and dry, i'll be able to properly judge the foundation, but I thought, what has been my winter drugstore foundation favourites?

So lets begin :D

I narrowed it down to the top 3 I have been choosing in the last 3 weeks;

Maybelline Fit Me

Rimmel Wake Me Up 

Loreal Lumi Magique 


All three of these are different brands, different packaging, varied prices but one thing they all have in common is the finishing look of Fresh, Dewy Skin.

Lately I have been obsessing over dewy makeup, and perphaps it is just because it's been so flipping cold here in Qld, Australia.

I'm going to start with a brand that honestly, has gone from the bottom of my favourite makeup brands to steadily making it's way to the top,
Maybelline.

MAYBELLINE FIT ME, DEWY + SMOOTH

POSITIVES

* The Maybelline Fit Me Dewy + Smooth foundation provides a natural, luminous glow to my skin.
* It doesn't sink or clog my pores and it also does feel slick and slimy, like some liquid foundations do.
* Medium to Full coverage, providing a Natural finish
* Doesn't split or go patchy throughout the day.
* It's labelled for Normal to Dry skin and has a spf of 18.
* A decent selection of shades to chose from
* Simple and Classy Packaging

NEGATIVES

Now yes there are a few negatives, my main one is of course -
* NO PUMP! :'(
Why? why? why?
I never understand why a company decides to bring a foundation without a pump.
* The colours, although there is a vast range to choose from, there doesn't seem to be any neutral tone shades, they are either quite yellow or pink.
I picked up shade #125.
This one is a shade too dark, and is yellow base,
But, a little blending down to the neck, and you can't tell.
* I do need to have a powder to set this, otherwise it'll be sliding off my face and onto the furniture and my clothes within seconds.

These may seem like quite a lot of negatives but personally, it's a no big deal situation for me. Besides the even texture and glow I get at the end is worth that little extra blending down.
 I get so many compliments when I wear this foundation and for RRP of $18.95, I can't complain.

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP

I have recently did a review on this beauty already, which I will provide a link down below.


POSITIVES 
*The Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation provides Natural, soft, radiant glow to the skin
* Medium Coverage
* Sets to the skin quickly
* Doesn't need a powder to set
* Pleasant scent
* No splitting or going patchy throughout the day
* Has a Pump!

NEGATIVES
*Only 6 shades to choose from in Australia

I Just love that this foundation doesn't need a powder to set it. It's not oily looking or a slick texture, just that right amount of natural glow look.
The great thing about Rimmel, is that it always has a special. I picked this up when it was Half Price! Normally RRP $19.95, still a bargain.



http://muabananas.blogspot.com.au/2015/07/rimmel-wake-me-up-foundation-review.html

Link to Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation above ^^^^^^^^

L'OREAL PARIS LUMI MAGIQUE

This one I had only recently pulled back out of my kit and put it into my 'regular' section.



POSITIVES

* Light infussed radiant complexion
* Medium Coverage
* Natural Glow
* 12 hour hold
* Has a Pump
* A unique finish, unlike the others. Hard to describe, I recommend, trying it out for yourself.

NEGATIVES

*My natural oils, on my t-zone make their welcoming to this foundation throughout the day
and starts look super oily, nothing a little touch up won't fix and that is something that will be different on all skin types.
* Recently L'oreal Paris in Australia reduced their colour range and only have about 6 shades to choose from

There's something different about the end results of this foundation, that I can't put my finger on it. It almost looks like your skin and not a mask of makeup, except it's flawless
RRP $33.95





There you have it my Top 3 Favourite Drugstore Foundations for Winter.
Have you guy's tried any of these?
Loved it or Hate it?

Instagram - muabananas
Youtube - Coming Soon
xx

BEAUTY WINTER ESSENTIALS

BEAUTY WINTER ESSENTIALS

Some of us Aussies, just aren't used to the cold. Which can tend to us, not being quite prepared when it comes to our skin.

You might be finding, those gorgeous tanned legs (I wish) are a bit dry, possibly flaking?
Those kissable lips, you had last season, may not be quite so kissable anymore, or that gel cleanser you swore by in the summer as your holy grail, is giving you a sore, tight feeling?

Well fear no more, I have prepared for you My Go To Products for Winter. These winter essentials include, Skincare, Cosmetics, and something I thought you might of not expected, Fragrance!

So grab that cuppa tea, add a digestive biccie or two, sit back, get cosy, get warm, and listen on in...
if you want too of course :P

 Let's begin with, what I'm sure we are all noticing, those not so smooth legs. And i'm not talking about because we have put our razors down for the week *cough*, admit it ladies.

In Winter, or at any colder temperatures, our legs can suffer the most, causing dry, itchy, flaky legs. This normally happens because of the wind, dry indoor air, or even cold weather sunburn.

My go to body lotion is -

URIAGE'S SUPPLEANCE CORPS LAIT-CREME NOURRISSANT
aka
Body Milk Nourishing Cream.

Uriage is dedicated to the most sensitive skin types, they are a hypoallergenic brand formulated with their key ingredient Uriage Thermal Water.

URIAGE BODY MILK is ridiculously nourishing for dry, itchy, sore skin. I tend to lather myself all over my body with this cream, as it's so soothing to the skin.
It also sets into the skin really quickly, which i like because then i'm not finding myself sticking to the furniture.
Its a massive 500ml size and cost $39.95aud.

My next go to is NUXE REV DE MIEL
aka Hand Cream

If you haven't noticed these two brands are from France ;)
This hand cream is divine!
Instantly what you notice is the scent, it has a very pleasant honey fragrance.
89% of Nuxe ingredients are of natural origin, and this hand cream contains honey, sunflower, precious oils and vitamin E.
Instantly my hands are soothed and nourished.
I picked this hand cream up for $20 from Priceline.

Next is all about dat base.
DR LEWINNS GENTLE CREAM CLEANSER

Some of us can notice that our face's natural oils might change during the winter season, and become possibly dry. Changing something as simple as your cleanser can really balance your moisture levels out again.

When I want to feel super duper soft after cleansing, I turn to Dr Lewinns Gentle Cream Cleanser.
This cleanser is solely based on nourishing your skin.
I use a cleansing brush so combining the two, does take my makeup off really well.
This cleanser, deeply cleans and hydrates the skin using apricot, sweet almond and avocado oils.
I have never been fussed with cleansers, if it cleans and takes my makeup off im happy.
But this one is something else, granted, if you wear full coverage makeup, personally I found using just my hands, took some work to get my makeup off but the feeling your skin gets after cleansing with this cream cleanser is unbelievably smooth and conditioned as opposed to that dry, tight feeling some cleansers may give.
I bought this cleanser for $29.99aud and you can find it in most of your Pharmacy/Chemists.


Still with me? good, Maybe it's time for that second cup of tea ;)

My next two are now cosmetics and they are both the same brand -

MAYBELLINE NEW YORK

Let's talk about Lips.
Our lips probably suffer daily in the colder, dryer days and I have ended up being one of those fanatics to the Maybelline Baby Lips.

I had heard some much rave about the baby lips, and for $2.00 reduced at Kmart, I thought why not?
Wow! I have bought lip balms worth $20 and none of them never really nourished them or made them feel instantly smooth. Since using the Maybelline Baby Lips, nothing and I mean nothing compares to this lip balm. Instantly my lips are hydrated, and they feel like, what I assume like baby's lips.

As much as I love my matte lipsticks, my lips just can't handle the dryness it can cause when it's winter. So I have myself turning to Maybelline's Colour Drama Lippies.

First off, let me say for $9.95, the pigment is insane!

They stock quite a good range of colours, from natural nudes to hot pink, to the marilyn monroe red, but there's one that I think suits a perfect winter look.

Its the shade Berry Much.
A deep plum shade that tends to compliment most people.

Aside from the pigment and colours, they are also very creamy and surprisingly quite long wearing.

It glides on really easy and as it its in a jumbo pencil form, I find it's a perfect shape to apply as well.




Last, I end this post on a winter's fragrance.

Fragrance of course is personal choice and I tend to lean towards for a either floral or rich scent.

So the one I have picked for the colder nights is -


ROBERTO CAVALII JUST CAVALLI GOLD

This by all means, in my opinion is a rich, deep scented fragrant, so if that's not your thing, then peace out.

Just Cavalli Gold is a seductive, oriental floral fragrant.

Those of you who love Nutella, might find this is the closest you'll get to wearing nutella on your neck, as the first note opens up with hazelnut and a hint of mandarin, it then moves onto jasmine, woody orris and marshmallow!

Its so creamy, and rich, I can picture myself by a warm hot fire wearing it...instead i'll most likely be freezing my tits off in heels I can barely walk in, a club that I never wanted to go to.
Ah Well, a girl can dream.

Well if you stuck around, then thanks!
I hope you enjoyed this Beauty Winter Essentials Post, and helped you out with all your beauty needs.
Cya

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette Review

HOURGLASS AMBIENT PALETTE REVIEW

It's Here! It's Here! It's finally here!
Hurray !

I made a trip to my not so local Mecca a few weeks ago, and after surprisingly walking out with nothing, which i still regret to this day, the next day I hopped onto their website and ended up purchasing the Hourglass Ambient Palette.
So,
Is it all it's cracked up to be?


After my squeal of excitement had contained itself, and I had some food in my belly (hehe) I opened my beautiful parcel, that I came home to after a long day of work.

Big up's to Mecca Maxima with their packaging and 3 free samples.

Hourglass packaging is so luxurious, it's a beautiful dark copper gloss on the outside.
When I opened it, of course it was MAGIC. It was probably 10 mins of just admiring the packaging and colours, I almost didn't want to touch it.
As stupid as this sound but it was like this beautiful product had to gain my trust before I had the honour to swatch the powders!

When I finally got around to swatching it, never have I felt powder to be so finely milled. It feels so silky and creamy, nothing cheap about this brand.

There's 3 powders to choose from; Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Radiant Light.

It's really great value for money, this palette cost $76aud, normally one of their ambient powders cost $59it's a little bit bigger, but this is a great palette to sample, and because it's so gently pigmented, you don't need to use a lot at all.

So how did the final results go?

Unfortunately, Iphone camera's are....SHIT
so in my pictures, it might be a bit hard to see the true beauty this products does to your look.

It glides on so easy, and you only need the tiniest stroke of the brush.

 I like to apply the Dim light to my contour and brush upwards, to soften my contour line, as i do have paler skin I don't want my contour to look muddy.
The Dim light really does make a difference at blurring and almost making it look like you have a filter on you cheeks. Which, by the way, who doesn't love a filter?

After that, above where I applied Dim Light, I then apply Radiant Light from my cheek bone, and brushing outwards, towards my temple, to highlight the area. The colour of Radiant light has the slightest pale, rosey colour so I use this as a blush as well.

You'd think I would be happy to finish here, but, hello? There's 3 colours, I am gonna make sure all 3 colours are going on my face, even if it does end up looking like a glowy mess.

Last but not least, possibly my favourite (shh don't tell the others) Incandescent Light.
This is a light, near white powder. The shimmer in this one is so beautifully natural, it looks like my skin has a glow all day long.
I apply this above Radiant light and in the same direction, as well as down the bridge of my nose, cupid's bow, chin and a little on the forehead. You can see in the pic above Incandescent Light is showing all its glory.
 Well what it can anyway with the crappy camera quality, p.s new camera equipment coming soon, I promise!

Rating and Summary - 
For that beautiful, natural glow, I am always going to be reaching for Hourglass Ambient Palette. Its great value for price, did i say it's created in Italy?

This is also a great option for oily skin folks who have to set their liquid foundation with powder, as you can still get that dewy look, using this palette.

I feel like my makeup isn't complete until I have used this palette.
Now I can't wait to own everything by Hourglass... I MUST HAVE THEM ALL

Rating -
10/10 

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION REVIEW

RIMMEL WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION REVIEW

If i'm being 100% honest, Rimmel, has never been my favourite brand. Don't get me wrong, their products aren't horrible but, nothing really excites me from the range.
Recently Priceline was doing a half price sale on the entire range of Rimmel.
It was too good of a sale, not to try something, but what?
Mascaras? Lipsticks?
Naahhh...
I have heard in passing that the Wake Me Up Foundation was a go to for a few beauty bloggers, so for 50% off I bought it, along with Soft Beige and Ivory Wake Me Up Concealer.

So how did it go?

WAKE ME UP FOUNDATION

I am actually quite shocked as to how often I have been choosing this foundation daily. Granted its only been a week, in fact probably less!
 BUT I can normally suss out a foundation when wearing it 2 or 3 times.

I picked up the shade True Ivory, and it was a perfect match! It's given me a bit of warmth but not that overly summer look.

Its very easy to blend, with one pump I can spread it out to achieve a medium coverage, but I am always a full coverage gal, so two pumps is necessary for me. Which still isn't using a lot.
I applied this with Real Techniques Blender.

It really does achieve a "Wake up/Fresh" look and doesn't seem to take too long to set.
It also is far from feeling heavy on your skin and I did find, you can set with or without a powder.

The true test for my skin, is how long it lasts.

I have always had an Oily T-Zone, it's never bothered me, as everywhere I have a Normal skin type and I rarely get breakouts.
But having an oily t-zone means liquid foundation, even with a powder, throughout the day, a lot of foundations tend to split and some go patchy.

Did It Pass?

Wow, did it ever!
I'm still so shocked as to how much this foundation is...well...AMAZING!
After 8 hours in several different weather conditions, indoors, outdoors, there was no splitting. Not one!
I still had a flawless complexion.
Yes, we are in winter, so lets see how well this goes when Southeast Queensland hits Summer. Which, by the way, I can't stand.

But for the current season, Winter. I am impressed.

Summary and Rating

If your after a Medium - Full Coverage, Fragrance Free,
Pump,
Dewy and Long Lasting,

I would definitely recommend trying the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation.
RATING -
9/10