Shopping My Stash

Hey all,

This post is going to be short and sweet, as I have been feeling very under the weather for the last few days. I still wanted to share with all of you though! 

I'm not going to lie, I have a very large make up collection. Friends and family are always harping at me to 'start some sort of business', or looking at me as though I am insane (probably just a little). Having a large number of products, I have found that many end up becoming lost and forgotten; and sometimes feel guilty that not all my products are getting the love that they deserve.

So I decided to do something about it, and participate in the 'Shop My Stash' theme that has been going around for a while.

What Is It? 
It is pretty much just an opportunity to rediscover items from your stash, and to place them in your everyday routine. 


My Rules
1. Every week, pick 5 items from my stash that I haven't been using. 
2. Use all of these items at least twice in the week. 


The Products
Anything, except nail polish and brushes. 


Week One 

1. Sleek Primer Palette
2. Illamasqua Cream Blush in Libido
3. Benefit Ooh La Lift 
4. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strip in Sunset Strip 
5. Sleek Eyeshadow Palette in Monaco 

I am going to be doing this every week for the next three months. Feel free to join in, for as long as you like, and link me if you have already started!

Hope you all have a great night! 

On My Lips: MAC Reel Sexy - Heroine and Watch Me Simmer

Hey all, 

As I'm sure a lot of you were, I was super excited for the MAC Reel Sexy collection to hit Australia shores. Since we get everything a little bit later than the US, it always gives me time to look at swatches and reviews...and fall in love with everything! 

All of the lipsticks in the Reel Sexy collection looked divine, so the day that they were released here I ran out and picked up the two I thought would work best with my skin tone - Heroine and Watch Me Simmer.

Heroine & Watch Me Simmer

The Shades

- Heroine - a gorgeous magenta purple that is almost completely matte, it just has a hint of shine to it. 

- Watch Me Simmer - a bright coral with a hint of pink. 

What I Love 

- Highly pigmented and creamy, like most MAC shades.

- Such gorgeous shades. 

- Wear around 4-5 hours on me. 

- Fade evenly. 

Where to Buy: Online, Myer, David Jones

Price: $36.00

Swatches

Without Flash 

With Flash 

On My Lips 

In Natural Light

Heroine

Watch Me Simmer

I think that these colours are absolutely stunning; so glad that I grabbed them. I'm also starting to think that I will go back and get Reel Sexy as well, I didn't think I wanted it at first - but it has grown on me! 

What are your favourite items/shades from the Reel Sexy collection? 

Hope you all have a great night! xx

Breast Cancer Awareness Inspired Nails + Tutorial

Hey all, 

With national pink ribbon day being tomorrow, I thought I would do something special with my nails to show my support. Breast cancer awareness is something that I hold especially close to my heart, as many women in my family - including my gorgeous mother, have been affected by breast cancer in the past. 

As I am no where near talented enough to paint a pink ribbon on my nails, I thought that I would just go with some plain ol' pink instead! I painted them a bright, candy pink with hot pink glittery tips!

Overall, I am quite happy with the way they turned out! 

What I Used

- OPI Base & Top Coat 

- French Manicure Tip Guides 

- B Collection by Bloom in Venezuela 

- LA Splash in Sparkling Rose 

How I Did It

- Painted my nails with my OPI base coat and let dry.

- Painted the entire nail with two coats of B Collection by Bloom in Venezuela, and let dry completely.

- Applied french manicure tip guides to all my nails.

- Painted two coats of LA Splash in Sparkling Rose on the tips.

- Removed french manicure tip guides before the polish dried.

- When nails were completely dry, applied top coat. 

I hope that you all enjoyed this look, and found my steps somewhat helpful! If you didn't want to do this look in pink, any other colours would work as well! 

Support those affected by breast cancer: wear pink, buy a ribbon or donate (if possible). You can get more information about this important cause at http://www.pinkribbonday.com.au/. 

Hope you all have a great day! xx

MAC Fall Colour Eyeshadow: Shock-A-Holic

Hey all, 

A couple of days ago I headed out to my local MAC counter at Myer with the aim to purchase Woodwinked (finally), and came across the new Fall Colour collection! All the colours within the entire collection are absolutely gorgeous, vibrant and unique. Of course, I couldn't help myself and left the store with the new Shock-A-Holic shade (as well as Woodwinked of course!). 

Isn't it such a pretty purple?!

About the Shade - Vibrant grape purple - Slight shimmer - Pink shimmer particles (absolutely gorgeous!)- Satin finish 

What I Love 

- Anyone who knows me quite well is aware that in general I adore MAC eyeshadows! 

- Long lasting 

- Crease free

- Beautiful vivid colours!

What I Am Not So Crazy About

- MAC eyeshadow's are quite pricey, especially here in Australia! At $33 AUD each, sometimes they can be hard to justify purchasing. 

- New and limited edition shades often sell out quickly in store


Swatches


Without Flash 

With Flash 

It looks great with a dark brown colour in the crease for an everyday look, or a green, or even a blue for a more adventurous look. 

I am definitely going to pick up more of the collection soon. I am loving the vibrant fall colours out recently, greatly suited for the Australian spring I think! And for those of us who are a little more on the adventurous side.

Hope you all have a great day! xx

XLNT Eyeshadow Rave & Review

Hey all,

This is a product rave of epic proportions because I absolutely adore the eyeshadow from this brand. I found this brand at my local Cosmetics Fragrance Direct store a couple of months ago and purchased one of their eyeshadow trios, or 'tr-eyes' as they call them. I wasn't expecting much at all because of the low cost ($2!!), but I must say its hard to put into words just how impressed I am. I now have their entire eyeshadow collection! 

For $2 a pop these eyeshadows are short of amazing, with a primer they have amazing pigmentation and staying power. They are also a perfect harmony between matte and shimmer. I only wish that they had a wider range of shades, but I am hoping that they expand their collection in the future. 

XLNT has three eyeshadow trios, and four singles from what I have found and they are all a ridiculously low $2 each. The brand also has eyeliner and lipliner pencils, lipstick, mascara and foundation; I haven't tried any of these other products yet, but I will try and review them in the near future. 

As far as I know, the brand XLNT can only be purchased at Cosmetics Fragrance Direct within Australia, and the website link above has store locations. I'm always visiting Cosmetics Fragrance Direct and they have some great bargains, so it is definitely worth checking them out! 

What I Love 

- Super cheap at $2 an eyeshadow!!!

- Highly pigmented

- Long lasting

- Not too shimmery

Cons

- Limited shade range

Packaging (Just so you know what to look out for!)

Single Eyeshadow's

Shades: Taupe, Hazelnut, Shimmer Fudge & Opal Dusk 


Trios or 'Tr-eyes'

Shades: Blue-i's, Green-i's & Brown-i's (I personally think that the trio shades look good with ALL eye colours) 


Hope you all have a great day! xx

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils Review & Swatches

Hey all, 

I have just begun to buy products from NYX after hearing many raving reviews on youtube, and I thought I would try out these Jumbo Eye Pencils! I bought six to begin with, and I loved them so much that I now have 23, which I think is almost the entire collection!

I absolutely love these pencils, and use them in my looks just about every day. They have a great colour payoff, with an opaque consistency. They are creamy, glide on smoothly, and with a primer are long lasting. I usually use them as a base with a powder shadow on top to complete the look.

They retail for about $6.50 in Australia & $4 in the USA, and can be found at Crush Cosmetics AU.

NYX has provided a wide range of gorgeous shades, which are all highly pigmented.

My Favourite Shades

- Iced Mocha: Which I use as a base for a neutral eye.

- Slate: Great for a smokey eye.

- Pots & Pans: I use this shade as a base for silver looks. 

- Lime: Because I love greens on my eyes & this shade just 'pops'. 

- Purple Velvet: Beautiful deep purple that would suit anyone.

- Electric Blue: So bright & vivid! 

- Rust: Great for bronze looks. 

- Pure Gold: Gorgeous shimmery gold. 

- Milk: Great in the inner corners of the eye to brighten the whole look up. 

Ratings

Quality: 4/5

Price: 5/5

Packaging: 3/5

Overall: 4/5 

Would I buy it again? Definitely!

Swatches (For reference I am NC40/42)

Without Flash 

 Milk, Cottage Cheese, Yogurt, Iced Mocha, French Fries, Gold, Pure Gold, Bronze & Rust 

With Flash

Without Flash

 Pots and Pans, Slate & Black Bean 

With Flash 

 Without Flash 

Oyster, Strawberry Milk, Lavender, Pacific, Purple, Purple Velvet

With Flash

Without Flash

Baby Blue, Electric Blue, Horse Radish, Lime, Rocky Mountain Green

With Flash '

Hope you all have a great day! xx