December Empties

Another month ends and another bunch of products have been used up. But before I get into it, I hope you are all having a relaxing and rewarding Christmas break! I hope Santa brings you lots of fabulous goodies :)

Australis Mineral Inject Foundation

This isn't empty, but I've had it for over 12 months so it's time for it to be chucked out. I did like this when I started using it, but after a while I didn't like it anymore. The packaging is excellent, but the product is average. I don't like the strong sunscreen smell to it and it doesn't last very long. I won't repurchase this, as I have chosen to go for a slightly more expensive option - Revlon Stay Natural foundation.

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter

Amazing stuff, smells delicious. I get tons of compliments whenever I wear this. The smell is quite strong and does last a while, it's also very moisturising. There was a little bit left that I was going to use, but from the erratic hot and cold weather that has been happening lately, this is what happened to it...

Wow! It's looks like a hard gluey mess. Luckily there wasn't much left. I think I'll wash out the tub and use it for storing things. Will I repurchase? Yep, already have! I'm a huge fan of the Body Shop.

Nail Tek Foundation II Base Coat
I know this looks full when I lay it down flat, but it's about 1/3 full and has reached that gluggy, unusable state. At the moment, when I use it, it has the same effect as using Clag glue on my nails. However, this is an excellent base coat that dries opaque, fills in ridges and strengthens nails. It is probably my HG base coat. I also like that because of it dries as a milky white colour, it means you can use less coats of polish to achieve an opaque colour. Will I repurchase? Absolutely. 

Ophelia Makeup Rounds (top)
I think these are from Aldi? Either way, they are very handy for removing polish and eye makeup. Cheap and great quality. If I visit Aldi soon, I'll repurchase them, but as Big W is closer to me and are selling the Swisspers cotton pads in bulk, I'll probably go for them instead. 

L.A Girl Endless Auto Liner
I prefer the wind up crayon eye liners. This was okay, but the crayon was quite hard and I had to use a bit of pressure with it. In fact, I had to use so much force that I managed to snap half the crayon off! Ooops. Luckily it was only $2.50 from beautyjoint.com.  I won't repurchase this.

What have you used up this month?

Face of Australia - Mineral Therapy Illuminators

Good things come in threes, right?

Okay, I know this set actually includes four different shades of illuminators, but at this point in time, I've purchased three of them. I have bought the shades Angel Mist (the white, classic highlighter shade), Angel Blush (pink toned) and Angel Glow (bronze). I'm missing Angel Flame which is said to be a dupe of the NARS Orgasm Illuminator. Not sure yet whether I will buy it, but they retail for $14.95 (although I paid $14.44 at Big W) so theres a good chance I will. These are 50mL tubes so they are excellent value for money. 

The NARS illuminators are $48 each (according to Mecca) which is waay out of my price range, also they are smaller tubes (30mL). Considering you can buy the whole FoA collection for $50 (see link at end of post), it makes sense to buy all 4 for only $2 more than a single NARS one :)

Angel Mist
This can be used with foundation for fairer skin tones, but I use this as a highlighter at the top of my cheekbones. It adds a sparkly glow to my cheeks which I really like! As for pigmentation, my skin is 'medium' toned, so there is not much colour evident when I apply Angel Mist. I can't confirm this, but from the swatches I've seen, this looks similar to NARS's Copacobana Illuminator.

Angel Mist swatched
Left - blended out, but on my face I would blend it out more, I didn't blend it as much here so you can see it better. 

This is what the packaging looks like, tube with a screw top lid. You can probably see that there is enough product around the mouth and in the lid to highlight my cheekbones.

Angel Blush
This was the first one I bought and after a few uses, I was hooked. It gave a peachy glow to my cheeks. This one is probably my favourite.

Angel Blush, swatched above

Angel Glow
This one is less shimmery of the three and has more colour to it. I have read that you can mix it with your foundation for a bronzed look, but I found it made me look orange. I use this as a bronzer and/or blush for a natural summer glow. To me, this looks very similar to NARS's Laguna Illuminator.

Angel Glow, swatched above

What I don't like about these - the packaging isn't great, I find that a lot of product leaks out of the hole and goes into the lid which is wasting the product. I would highly recommend laying them down flat rather than upright, because product leaks out and can get messy when you open it. Example...

After leaving it upright for a few days, a lot of product has leaked into the lid, and dried up around the edges :(

Before I end this post, I'd like to say thank you to Mishelle from Mishelle's Sleepy Time for recommending these illuminators to me! 

Have you tried these illuminators?


Buy from:
http://www.makeupexpress.com.au/cosmetic/face-makeup-face-of-australia-illuminator/face-of-australia-mineral-therapy-illuminator-collection.aspx

My 10 Beauty Discoveries of 2012

As this year is drawing to a close, I thought I would write a reflective post. This year has been a year of huge beauty discovery and change for me, here are my biggest changes..

1. Discovering eye primers
A few months ago, I discovered the importance of eyeshadow primer. I always passed it off as unnecessary but after purchasing Too Faced Shadow Insurance, my views changed completely!

2. Epilating
Back in February, I purchased an epilator to use on my legs. Now I'm also using it on my underarms. For my legs, it's alright, but I am considering going back to shaving as I get too many ingrowns and it is time consuming. For my underarms, I am really glad I have made the switch as they are super smooth and the hairs grow back thinner and sparser. 

3. Switch to natural deodorants
After aluminium based deodorants started to irritate my skin, I switched to a natural deodorant by Fresca. I like that it's much better for your skin, but I find myself still reaching for aluminium based roll-ons before I go to work, as the Fresca one doesn't seem to last all day.

4. Using organic products
I've been using coconut oil (cold pressed, virgin, unrefined) on my hair for a few months now and the results are incredible. I feel like I should throw out my other hair products as I barely use them now. 
I've also started looking at some organic skincare products too.

5. Nail Art
I have jumped on the nail art bandwagon this year. Thanks to Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest, I have found tons of inspiration for different nail art designs.

6. Illuminators/luminizers 
Again, I thought this product was unnecessary and I wasn't that interested. But after I saw some Face of Australia illuminators at Big W, I couldn't resist! When I first started using it, I wasn't that impressed, but now I am really happy with the extra glow it gives to my skin.

7. Contouring my face
Another one of those things where I didn't see the point - how wrong I was! As I've said before, I look very young and I find contouring makes me look mature. I'm yet to perfect the technique and still need to purchase more tools to get the look right, but I'm getting there :)

8. Lip plumping gloss
I never looked into plumping glosses, I thought they contained sparkles/shimmer to reflect light and make your lips look fuller...then I bought the MUA Out There Plumping Gloss...bit of a shock that was when I used it! These glosses contain ingredients which give a mild stinging effect to dilate your blood vessels and swell your lips up. I was a little alarmed when my lips started stinging! But it seems like a good product to use every now and again. 

9. Using a base coat and top coat for nails
I was such a nail art noob before this year. I never used a base or top coat, until I read an article on beautyheaven about how to make your nail polish last longer. I can safely say that these products have changed my life! I'm now a huge nail polish junkie and can't go without my Seche Vite.

10. Blending eyeshadow
Again, before this year, I would only ever use one colour of eyeshadow on my eyelids, but thanks to YouTube and some great tutorials, I've learnt how to create a vast array of stunning looks! 

Now tell me, what beauty discoveries have you made this year? You can probably see that I've learnt a LOT of things this year and I hope my beauty education continues into the new year :)

Products I hate

I feel guilty about writing this post. Normally, I like/love most products I buy as I usually check out reviews before doing so, but sometimes I come across products that, no matter how hard I try to like them, I find them to be a waste. 

L-R

The Body Shop Coconut Shimmer Body Lotion

Swisspers Cleansing Eye Makeup remover pads

BYS Crackle polish in Black

Orly Nail Lacquer in Walk Down the Aisle

Top

Boe Beauty Lipgloss in Plum Crazy 

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm in Dawn

Elf Hypershine Lipgloss in Vixen

Read on for my ranting...

The Body Shop Shimmer Lotion

This is the only Body Shop product I dislike. I'm a HUGE fan of their products, but this one is not loved by me at all. It smells very nice and coconut-y, but I think the good things end there. It doesn't moisturise at all. They should call this 'Edward Cullen Shimmer Paste'. SO much shimmer, it gets over everything - clothes, furniture, other people you come into contact with etc. I don't like wasting products, I'll probably wear this to the beach or something so it'll just wash off anyway (ha). 

Swisspers Eye Makeup Remover Pads

Too rough, too dry. Seal isn't sticky so that makes them more dry over time. It does not remove waterproof mascara like it claims to...unless you want to tug furiously at your eyes. I think they missed the memo about eyes being a delicate area. You can probably see my packet is nearly used up, I don't use it for my eyes, but for things like wiping off makeup brushes or any stray makeup that gets on my hands. 

BYS Crackle Polish

It cracks nicely. Then it flakes off. Unless you use a top coat, it will just peel off. I don't think this is worth $5. Meh. 

Orly Polish in Walk Down the Aisle

I really like Orly polishes, they are probably one of my favourite brands. But this colour is just sucky, the formula is really thin and watery and it takes about 100 coats to get the colour opaque. I do not have the patience for this. Luckily, it was only $1 from Priceline...now I see why.

Boe Beauty Lipgloss

I'd recommend this lipgloss to you if you like that feeling of gluing your lips together. It is so sticky, when you pull the wand out it makes that pop sound. It's a shame really, I've used a few other Boe Beauty products which have been quite nice. This was only $2, no big loss.

Revlon Just Bitten Lipstain + Balm

No this isn't the new range (the new crayon type lipstains are called Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain). I hate this. I wish I hadn't wasted my money. The stain end is like a felt tip pen that feels really odd to put on your lips and the colour sinks into lines...so unless you have perfectly smooth lips, it looks bad! It's not that pigmented either. The colour I have, Dawn, is like a nude-reddish colour...someone asked if I had sore bleeding lips. Aaaahhh. Luckily, the colour wears off quickly anyway (unless you pack it on). The balm end is also bad, its so flimsy it'll break off unless you're super careful. 

Elf Hypershine Lipgloss

Again, this lipgloss is just too sticky. The twist tube is irritating, now theres lipgloss all through the inside of the lid and I have to wash my hands after using this because they get so gluey. 

I am NOT trying to diss these brands at all, in fact, most of these brands appear frequently in my makeup/beauty collection. I am simply sharing my opinion about products that I did not like. I still like these brands and will continue to purchase their products.

Which products do you hate?

BYS Metallics Darks palette

Oh no, another BYS palette...luckily they're so cheap I don't feel guilty about buying them.

I am tired of hearing about how young I look. When I meet people and tell them I'm 20, they're usually like whoa I thought you were 16! Yeah yeah I know, it'll be good when I'm in my 40's and look 30. But I hate looking so young right now, no one takes me seriously. One of the main reasons is that I'm tiny - average height but I'm very petite and don't have much of a womanly figure to me. Anyways...

I bought this palette because I thought if I could do a darker, smokey eye look, maybe it would make me look more mature. For only $5, even if it didn't work out, it wouldn't be a huge loss anyway. 

I broke it by driving home too fast as I was so excited about buying this. No, not really, I must have dropped it or something. It left a powdery mess everywhere.

These colours are all really pigmented! One thing I noticed though is that a few of the shades are almost identical. I think a black shade would have been handy. They are quite powdery so fall out is a given. Other than that, it seems like value for money. 

I'm yet to try a smokey eye with this palette, perhaps you could suggest a tutorial for me? :)

Pure Destiny Aromatics cleanser review

Pure Destiny Aromatics - Complete Me 3-in-1 Cleansing Facial System

I won this lovely product from a giveaway run by The Beauty & Lifestyle Hunter (check out her blog, it's very informative and a great read!) and I'm very excited about using this as it's my first organic cleanser.

I have recently become more interested in organic and natural products. After buying coconut oil for my hair, I barely use any other hair products. I've also ditched aluminium containing deodorants in favour of natural deodorant.

This cleanser contains certified organic ingredients, and from having a quick look at the ingredients list, I see things like aloe barbadensis leaf juice, various fruit and seed oils, as well as jojoba beads. This sounds much nicer than things like ammonium lauryl sulfate and sodium benzotriazolyl and other things that are too hard to pronounce. 

The packaging is sleek and simple. I think it looks very classy and a lot less 'commercial' than cleansers by many well-known brands. 

The cleanser is easily dispensed in an efficient way, and one of the first things I notice is the pleasant smell - sort of like lavender and eucalyptus (I'm probably wrong). The consistency is quite runny and contains exfoliating grains. I massage this onto my skin in circular motions to exfoliate and leave it on for up to 3 minutes (as stated on the label). In this time, the cleanser absorbs into the skin and the exfoliating beads are left on the skin. I was quite surprised to find a refreshing sensation over time - not so much that tingly feeling from menthol, but more like a cooling feeling. According to the label, this is when the cleanser is detoxifying and cleansing the skin.

After washing off, my skin feels refreshed and smooth. Also, it doesn't feel dry/tight at all which is a winner in my books as I often find myself with dry skin after using cleansers. I can get away with not moisturising but I still do. I'll be using this twice a week, but it can be used about 3-4 times a week.

Overall, this is a really fantastic cleanser and I would highly recommend it!

MUA lipstick shade 7 & Nectar

If you're a makeup fan, no doubt you'll know about UK makeup brand Make Up Academy (MUA). If not, I suggest you check them out right away!

I took advantage of the 35k offer and picked up a few things including some lipsticks. 

These remind me a LOT of the Rimmel Lasting Finish lipsticks. They have a similar vanilla type smell and lasting power seems the same. With the MUA lipsticks, I'd say I probably get about 2 hours wear out of them, which I think is okay because I love reapplying lipstick! The packaging of them is really great too, I like the 'fat' tube and it doesn't look cheap. And they have the secret twist-off pot at the bottom, to help you get an idea of the colour. You'll need a brush to use this though. 

Above: Shade 7. Here is my poor attempt at describing the colour: almost like a peachy salmon pink, it has a hint of coral to it. Seems like a wearable, everyday colour.

Above: Nectar. I expected this to be a coral colour, based on swatches but eeek its more like a neon orange. Or maybe I'm just scared of colour, that's also possible. It's a bold coral/orange colour and I have NO idea what other makeup I would wear with it. 

Have you tried any MUA lipsticks? 

Also, currently (12th Dec 2012) they have a 40% discount on their site, have a look if you're interested!

Lipgloss: Sticky or not?

Some of us like our lipgloss smooth. Some like it sticky. While smoother lipglosses, in my opinion, feel much nicer to wear, they don't last as long. Sticky lipglosses have better wear time, but they can feel heavy and don't even get me started on the woes of wearing sticky gloss on a windy day (nom nom hair).

I've recently been going through a lip product phase and have purchased a few new glosses. Some are sticky and some are smooth, I like them all for different reasons, so I thought I'd show you some glosses I own, based on their consistency.

First four images sourced online (links at end)

MUA Intense Kisses Lipgloss in 'Kiss and Make Up'
I adore this lipgloss for so many reasons. Its small enough to squeeze into a tiny clutch, only costs 2 pounds and is highly pigmented. The lipgloss has a doe foot applicator and has a mild scent, something like vanilla/candy (I'm terrible at describing smells). From my lipgloss scale, you can see this is the smoothest of all included, my favourite type of consistency. 

Hopefully from the swatches, you can see how lovely this colour is.

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in 'Sponge Cake'
Not quite as smooth, a little heavier but I wouldn't call it sticky. NYX is also a very affordable brand so this should only cost you a few dollars. This one is slightly larger than the MUA one (11mL, the MUA one is 5.1mL) so it's great value. It has a strong smell which I'd say is very grapey, doesn't bother me but I know a lot of people are turned off by this.

Again, quite pigmented and this colour is frosted so it has shimmer particles in it.

Face of Australia Massage Therapy Lip Shine in 'Bondi'
I've written about this before, another great lipgloss. The formula is somewhere in between, not that smooth but not exactly sticky either. This colour is amazing and the gloss smells faintly like berries.

Random thought - why is this colour named Bondi? Bondi makes me think of beachy colours!

Clinique Long Last Glosswear in 'Air Kiss'
Now we reach the sticky end. I have the GWP size and I don't think I'd buy the full size. The shine and colour are amazing, however. It does last quite a while on the lips too.

I do have a picture of the gloss on my lips, but every time I try to add it, it keeps going sideways! I'll add that photo when it stops being weird.

Boe Beauty Lip Lacquer in Plum Crazy

STICKY! It does that 'pop' thing when you pull the wand out. Smells kind of like plastic (delish!). But hey, it's only $2, the pigmentation is decent and I was really drawn to this colour. It works well over lipstick to keep it in place longer.

Lots of glittery chunks in this one!

And that concludes my post on smooth and sticky glosses, I hope you enjoyed reading!

Do you like your lipgloss sticky or smooth?





Pictures sourced from:

http://muacosmetics.blogspot.com.au/2012/08/new-intense-kisses-gloss.html
http://millies.ie/Images/Nyx/Mega%20Shine%20Lip%20Gloss/nyx-Nyx-Cosmetics-Mega-Shine-Lip-Gloss-COSMO.jpg
http://themomblog.blog.ocregister.com/files/2009/02/clinique-long-last-glosswear.jpg
http://www.fashionaddict.com.au/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/300x/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/f/a/face-of-australia-massage-therapy-lip-shine-bondi-1_1.jpg

$20 makeup tag

Before I start, I'll mention that this is made up of mostly US and UK products. Australian cosmetic prices are quite high. I was inspired to do this post after watching a video by InfectiousBeauty, an Aussie beauty guru who did the $20 makeup challenge!

1. Milani Press Powder in Beige 08 $5.75 
beautyjoint.com
Aside from the strong perfume smell, I do like this press powder. For its price, I am happy with the results as it keeps my face looking fresh and matte.

2. L.A Girl Endless auto eyeliner in Black $2.49
beautyjoint.com
I like that this is one of the wind up crayon eyeliners. What I don't like is that its not very soft, it requires a bit of pressure so sometimes there is a bit of tugging involved!


3. Sleek Volume & Curl mascara in Black $4.99
sleekmakeup.com
Nothing too fancy, does the job and is the cheapest mascara I own. I've done a review on this mascara.

4. Kleancolor American Eyedol wet/dry baked shadow in Taupe $1.75
beautyjoint.com
This is a nice neutral colour which is very wearable. I do like the Kleancolor baked shadows, I've done a review on them here!

5. Boe Beauty bronzer #5 Glow bronzing powder $2 

Big W

(International readers: swap this for e.l.f Essential Healthy Glow bronzing powder which is $1.99! I don't own this but it has modest reviews)

Swatched above - the pigmentation is decent, but what really draws me to this is the colour. It looks soft and natural when applied.

The look so far - eyes with the Kleancolor shadow, L.A Girl eyeliner on the top lash line and lower water line with Sleek mascara. I am also wearing the Boe bronzer here, the light has fallen on the right side of this photo but the bronzer adds a nice glow.

6. MUA lipstick Shade #7 $1.50 (roughly, as it costs 1 pound in the UK)
muastore.co.uk
I have only just received this lipstick so I can't say too much about it but I will be posting a full review about this shade (and a few others) shortly. 

= $18.48

$1.52 left over...from looking through beautyjoint.com, the only thing that I can find that could be added is a Jordana lip liner to go with the lipstick ($1).

Phew! Sorry that this post is mostly international products but I don't think this challenge can be done with Australian products. Also I cheated slightly as I didn't include brushes but you could probably apply the shadow and bronzer with your fingers.

What products would you use for this tag?

What's in BB cream?

BB creams are all the rage at the moment as they act as a multi-purpose product. Having recently finished my degree in biomedical science, I've had the time to research some of the major ingredients in some Western BB creams.

I have done this research out of my own personal interest and all information below is my interpretation of information gathered from sources listed at the end.

Rimmel 9 in 1 BB Cream.
The Nine Claims:
1. Primes
2. Moisturises
3. Minimises pores
4. Conceals
5. Covers
6. Smoothes
7. Mattifies
8. Brightens
9. Protects.

Is all this true when you look at the ingredients?
I won't include the whole ingredients list because I highly doubt you'll read through every ingredient. I will just discuss some of the major ingredients used. I'll post my sources in links at the end.

Ingredient 2: Dicaprylyl carbonate. This is what is used to make your skin feel velvet smooth. It acts as an emollient with spreading properties to produce the smooth feeling without leaving an oily residue.
Ingredient 16: Glyceryl stearate - also acts as an emollient.
Claim 6 - Smoothes: tick!

Ingredient 3: Mica. Mica is a mineral which gives a white sparkly effect when added to cosmetic products. As it is a naturally occurring product, it contains traces of heavy metals, however the levels in cosmetics are very low and considered safe.
Claim 8 - Brightens: tick!

Ingredient 4: Cyclopentasiloxane. This is a silicone found in many beauty product and acts as an emollient. An emollient helps to make the skin softer and more hydrated as they reduce evaporation from the skin, increasing the water content of the skin.
Ingredient 5: Glycerin. This acs as a moisturising agent, as it attracts water (moisture) from the air into the skin.
Ingredient 12 is shea butter, a well known moisturiser.
Claim 2 - Moisturises: tick!

Ingredient 7: Ethylhexyl Salicylate - you may know of it as salicyclic acid. This is widely used in cosmetics and has uses as a sunscreen agent.

Ingredient 8: Ethylhexyl Methoxycinnamate. It is an active ingredient in sunscreens due to its UV filters. 

Ingredient 11: Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane. Absorbs UV light to protect against sun damage.

Ingredient 14: Octocrylene - a UV absorber found in sunscreens.

Claim 9 - Protects: tick!

Ingredient 13: Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer. This absorbs sebum, the fluid produced by the oil glands on your face.

Claim 7 - Mattifies: tick!

Ingredient 18: Aluminum dimyristate. I couldn't find much information on this, but apparently it is an anti-caking agent, an emulsion stabiliser (stabilises the interface between mixture of liquids) and viscosity controller (controls thickness of a liquid). I'm going to interpret this as priming abiliy as it helps stabilise the intergrity of makeup on the skin. I could be wrong. 

Claim 1: Primes - debatable 

Ingredient 19: Ascorbyl glucoside. This is a form of Vitamin C which is taken into the skin and used to inhibit the formation of melanin (the pigmentation in our skin). It can be used to hide the appearance dark spots. 

Claim 4: Conceals - debatable 

Claim 5: Covers - debatable 

Ingredient 24: Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract. Extracts from a licorice plant that can tighten the skin and/or produce a tingly feeling

Claim 3: Minimises pores - tick!

Well, thats all the claims covered so I won't discuss any more ingredients. Even though all the claims can be accounted for, it should be noted that some of the ingredients appear quite late in the list, so the extent of which they play a role may not be very significant.

Anyways, let me know what you thought of this post. Was it too scientific and boring? Would you be interested in seeing any more of these types of posts?
Don't worry, I'll still do my usual type of blog posts with swatches/reviews etc :)



SOURCES
Dicaprylyl carbonate
http://www.bioselect-us.com/Ingredients.aspx?IngrID=235

Mica
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=607

Cyclopentasiloxane
http://www.goodguide.com/ingredients/259944-cyclopentasiloxane?category_id=370286-foundation-with-spf
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emollient

Glycerine

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/crafts/crafts-soapmaking/glycerin.html

Ethylhexyl salicylate

http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=352

Ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate

http://www.cosmeticsandtoiletries.com/formulating/ingredient/uvfilter/138566919.html

Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane
http://www.lush.com.au/shop/lush/lushopaedia&ingredient_id=66

Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer

http://www.truthinaging.com/ingredients/methylmetacrylate-crosspolymer

Octocrylene

http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/ingredient.php?ingred06=704206

Glyceryl stearate

http://en.mimi.hu/beauty/glyceryl_stearate.html

Aluminium Dimyristate 

http://www.cosdna.com/eng/7063b41277.html

Ascorbyl glucoside

http://www.futurederm.com/2007/12/19/spotlight-on-ascorbyl-glucoside/

Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract
http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient_details.php?ingredient_id=1935

November empties

I've never written an empties post before, mostly because I don't use up that many products in a month so it doesn't seem worthwhile. Throughout November, though, I have racked up a few used up items!

Lee Stafford dry shampoo 

This was a good product, did the job and was great for 'emergencies', but I really disliked the smell, it was like a very strong baby powder smell. I think this is a little on the expensive side too, I've heard that Batiste is cheaper and still does a great job. If I see the Batiste dry shampoo, I will definitely pick that one up instead.

TIGI Bed Head Urban Antidotes shampoo 'Recovery' Damage Level 2 

Yes this is upside down, I accidentally broke the lid so it won't sit up the way it should. I didn't like this shampoo as much as I liked the Resurrection (level 3) one. But don't take my word for it, on Makeup Alley, level 2 has a higher rating than level 3! I won't be repurchasing this as I prefer to change shampoos when I finish a bottle.

Coles nail polish remover 
Does the job, does it pretty well. I prefer this one to the Cutex remover as the mouth at the top is smaller so there is less excess liquid poured out. Also, if you knock the bottle over accidentally then you won't lose as much liquid! It is very cheap, from memory about $4ish so I will continue to repurchase this.

Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat 
This is an amazing top coat which dries polish fast and gives a fabulous glossy look. Theres about 1/3 of this bottle left but its getting too thick to use. I have repurchased this.

Nair facial hair remover cream 
I really liked this hair removal cream, I find it much better than the others I've tried. It didn't burn or sting my skin at all. I also liked the applicator. I tried to repurchase this when I was at the chemist the other day, but they seemed to be all out so I picked up a different one. When that is used up, I'll definitely come back to this one!

Maybelline The Falsies mascara 

Your average mascara, I did find it clumpy at times. I'm not sure whether I'd repurchase this.

Palmers Lip Butter 

This smells delicious but I won't repurchase this as I don't find it moisturising. It is very oily and wears off quickly. 

Maybelline Baby Lips 

Will definitely repurchase this! HG lip balm. 

Australis eye pencil (top) 

Its getting quite short so I'll have to repurchase this soon, its cheap and works fairly well. It does smudge in hot weather but I only use it on my waterline as I prefer liquid liner for the top lashline. 

What products have you used up in November?

NOTD featuring 'For Audrey'

If you're into nail polish, you may/will/should know about China Glaze's gorgeous Tiffany blue - For Audrey. I recently purchased this and am in LOVE. It is amazing, a must-have for your collection! 

It's a beautiful colour on its own, but I jazzed it up with some glitter and polka dots!

Rare right hand shot! Normally I don't post pictures of my right hand as my left hand looks better but it turned out alright this time!

The tools I used (L-R)

Orly Bonder base coat

China Glaze 'For Audrey'

Ulta3 'Lily White' for the dots

Rimmel I Love Lasting Finish 'Disco Ball'

Seche Vite Dry Fast top coat

What are your thoughts on 'For Audrey'? 

EOTD using MAC

Just a quick post on a look I did using a few MAC shadows - Swimming, Naked Lunch and Sable. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get a good photo of the complete look as it was difficult to get a clear shot at night. I have posted swatches of the shadows that I took the next day.

L-R

Sable

Swimming

Naked Lunch

L-R

Naked Lunch

Swimming

Sable

I used Naked Lunch in the inner corner and as a highlight. I also used it all over the lid as a base colour. To the inner 2/3 of the lid I applied Swimming and used Sable in the outer V and to define the crease. Swimming is a nice colour but it can be tricky to blend. Sable is a gorgeous chestnut brown that I find to be very versatile! As for Naked Lunch, it has a great texture that is easy to work with. 

These shadows ended up producing a soft spring time look.

What are your favourite MAC shadows?

FOTD: Australian products

Despite my love for trying out international brands, its nice to use products from your own country! I used a few local products for my FOTD from a few nights ago, heres what I used (mini reviews included):

L-R

Australis Creme Colour blush in Flirtatious pink RRP $9.95

Face of Australia massage therapy lip shine in Bondi RRP $10.95

Face of Australia liquid eyeliner in black RRP $8.95

Australis Mineral Inject Liquid Foundation in Natural beige $17.95

BYS Diamond Shadow Colour Conga palette RRP $5.00

I've also included the Rimmel mascara, simply because I don't own any true Aussie brand mascaras but Rimmel is widely available here. Does anyone have any suggestions? 

Swatches above of Australis creme colour - on the left it has been blended out and is quite sheer against my skin. As my face is lighter, it shows up more on my face and appears like a natural flushed glow. I like the creamy consistency of this, it has a little bit of added shimmer too. It can be used on the lips too, but because of the lavender smell, I don't use it on my lips as I am not a fan of this smell! 

Swatches of the lip shine - it is true to the tube. The formula is a little on the sticky side, but it gives a great shine to the lips. The colour can be built up too so I only use a small amount. I absolutely adore this colour. The applicator also has little bumps on it, which apparently massages your lips to provide fullness. I don't really think this does anything, it feels nice to apply, but my lips don't seem much fuller from using it. 

As for the mineral foundation, it is decent, but nothing spectacular. Here is what the product claims to do:

• For perfectly smooth, immaculate-looking skin.
• Minmises the appearance of imperfections and fine lines
• Luxuriously lightweight for superior coverage and a sensational silky finish
• SPF 12

The coverage is quite light which suits me as my skin is fairly clear. It claims to give smooth skin - yes, if your skin is already in good condition. It does minimise imperfections if they are minor, and I'm not sure about the fine lines? 

As for the FoA liquid liner, I've written about it in a previous post, which you can view here (its #5 on the list). 

I have done a complete review on the BYS palette, click here!. For this FOTD, I used the soft green to fit with a floral spring-style look :) 

What are your favourite Australian products?