February Empties

I hope everyone has had a great month! My month has been busy and tiring, but mostly a good month. Here are my empties...

Elizabeth Arden Splendor Perfume

Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes

China Glaze Metallic Crackle polish 'Haute Metal'

Rimmel Extra Super Lash

Elizabeth Arden perfume

I've never bought myself a perfume. I always receive them as gifts. This one is almost used up, but it has passed its expiry date of 3 years so it smells funky! While it was a nice smelling perfume, it wasn't anything unique or super special. Would I repurchase? No, I have plenty of other perfumes to use!

Simple cleansing wipes

They do an okay job of removing makeup, smell fresh and are soft to use. I generally chop and change when it comes to facial wipes and just buy whatever is cheapest!

China Glaze crackle polish

This looks full because it is...it's being chucked out though because it dried up and is unusable. Quite sad really, I've only had it for about a year and used it maybe 2-3 times. It is gorgeous when applied so I might consider buying a different shade from the collection. They are pretty cheap so I can live with the fact that they dry up so fast.

Rimmel mascara

Aw, my trusty mascara has been used up. This is one of my favourites and I've been using it for years (not the same tube of course!). It gives volume, thickness and I get compliments on how nice my lashes look when I use it. I have not repurchased this, simply because I was lured in by the $10 Covergirl Clump Crusher deal. Don't worry Rimmel, I'll be back. 

What have you used up this month?

One day - how many products?

We all use products on a daily basis, some more than others. In fact, I think it would be difficult to go one day with no products (I dare you to try). This got me thinking...how much do we actually use in one day?

I have photographed a bunch of products that I used yesterday. Yesterday was a fairly 'minimal' day, not much makeup or anything because I was spending the whole day at uni. But I was still surprised to see how quickly they added up...

Oh gosh, I really should have wiped those smudgey mirrors first!

Makeup

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Milani Press Powder

L.A Girl Pro Concealer

Skinfood Dark circle concealer

Mirenesse blush brush

Sleek blush in Rose Gold

MUA Contour Liner in Black

Cover Clump Crusher mascara in Black

Most days that I have uni (4-5 days a week), I literally only spent 5 mins max on my makeup. I tend to vary blushes though and I usually put on some lip balm while I'm driving! 

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Aerogard

Deodorant 

The Body Shop White Musk perfume spray

The first two I don't have to explain much. I don't like mossie bites (my uni is a mossie breeding ground) and I don't like being stinky. As for the perfume, its a lovely floral musk smell that isn't too over powering.

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Pure Destiny Aromatics 3-in-1 facial cleanser

Dove Essential Nutrients lotion

The cleanser is a natural product that also acts as an exfoliator so I use it once or twice a week usually before showering. The Dove moisturiser is my daytime moisturiser as it is light and has SPF.

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TIGI Bedhead Spoil Me spray

Palmers Cocoa Butter lotion

Nivea Repair and Protect lipbalm

The TIGI spray is great for post-styling frizzies. I've had this same can for almost 2 years now and still have heaps left. It smells citrus-y and won't make your hair greasy. This is great because I prefer to use as few products in my hair as possible. The body butter smells like chocolate and is quite thick, so I usually put it on before I go to bed. Same with the lip balm too!

There are a few other products that I used such as shampoo, conditioner, body wash...as well as the other obvious essentials like toothpaste and hand soap but I haven't included them. 

I've found this post to be a huge eye opener as to the amount of chemicals we use on our bodies on a daily basis. 

How many products do you think you use each day?

Matrix Total Results 'Sleek' Shampoo review

I was initially looking for the Sleek look shampoo by Matrix (in the orange bottle) which was highly recommended by a YouTube beauty guru Farah Dhukai, but after realising that it had been discontinued, I purchased it's replacement - the Total Results Sleek shampoo. 

I was a bit hesitant at first as the reviews are quite mixed, many saying that the old formulation was much better. But as the price seemed good, I decided to give it a go. RRP is something around $15 but I bought it from beautybay.com for $5-6. 

Matrix Total Results Sleek Shampoo - 300mL

First of all, the bottle itself is tall and well, sleek looking. This makes it easy to grab in the shower. The clasp lid is fairly sturdy but I always manage to break shampoo lids off by knocking bottles over. 

The shampoo is white and quite creamy in consistency. It has a mild smell that I would describe as soapy - I'm not a huge fan of the smell but it's not overpowering so I can deal with that. The shampoo lathers really well and a small amount goes a long way as it cleanses very well. I have no product build up from using this.

The main reason I love this shampoo is because it leaves my hair super shiny and sleek (true to its name). It has been quite humid here over the past week and I feel that my hair is less frizzy than it would be normally. 

Overall, I'm very happy with this amazing shampoo. If this is supposedly a downgrade from it's ancestor Sleek look, then I wish I had jumped on the Matrix bandwagon earlier!

Have you tried any Matrix shampoos? Do you have a HG shampoo or do you like to try new ones?

Beauty pet peeves

Sure, we love our makeup, but there are some things that just drive me nuts...

Source: Google Images

1. Breaking nails on palettes
You know how some palettes, shadows, blushes etc are really hard to open?! And after you've finally got it open, from the force of it, you end up dropping it or somehow massacring it. Sleek blushes seem to have a bitch of a clasp, I've dropped them a few times from struggling to open them, but luckily no breakages.

2. Denting lipsticks
I seem to have a few lipsticks that don't wind fully down. So I have to be super careful when putting the lid back on to make sure I don't dent it. Luckily, only the cheaper lipsticks seem to be like this.

3. Smudging liquid eyeliner
Because I just spent so much damn time trying to make it look perfect!

4. Shampoo left in hair
After washing your hair, you get that crunchy, bubbly feeling of leftover shampoo. Sigh.

Source: Google Images

5. The mascara blink
When you apply mascara and look up straight after, and ending up with that line of mascara above your eyes...annoying. Usually I just grab a cotton pad soaked with eye makeup remover and swipe it off.

6. Eyeshadow fallout
I hate when this happens after doing my face makeup. It is such a pain when you have colourful fall out sitting on your face and after wiping it away, you have smears of colour under your eyes.

7. Eyes that don't match
I mean when your eye makeup looks noticeably different on your eyes. I seem to have this problem with winged eyeliner, my right eye usually turns out great while the left eye looks average.

8. Lack of blending
Can't say I do this myself as I rarely wear liquid foundation, but I hate seeing obvious foundation lines. Don't we all?

9. Smudging your nail polish on the last coat
Then having to redo that whole nail, starting from the base coat.

10. Packaging that doesn't suit the product
For example, a bottle of nail polish with a really big mouth/hole at the top so when you try to gently pour some liquid out, you get excess. I've managed to ruin the varnish on my wooden desk by pouring out too much nail polish remover...oops :(

What are some of your pet peeves?

Images from:
http://beautymarksthespotreviews.weebly.com/uploads/8/0/9/2/8092015/7191624_orig.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_esUXxm_xoHU/TOaqzNcYYBI/AAAAAAAAH2g/rBOP6itMeUI/s1600/eyeshadow-fallout.jpg

'My Lips But Better' lipsticks...

I used to wonder what the point of wearing lipstick similar to your natural lip colour was, but over time I have acquired a few of these MLBB shades! They're perfect for when you don't have time to think about which lipstick to wear or just to give a bit of extra colour to your lips.

Here are my picks...

L-R

Maybelline Mineral Lipstick in Healthy Rose

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Birthday Suit

Boe Beauty lipstick in Birthday suit

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Swatches

L-R

Maybelline Mineral Lipstick in Healthy Rose

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Demure

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Birthday Suit

Boe Beauty lipstick in Birthday suit

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

Maybelline Healthy Rose 

According to MUA, this is discontinued! Such a shame really, these lipsticks feel like butter (even better!) when you put apply them and have no smell/taste. This one is a regular in my handbag because it adds a hint of healthy pink to your lips and complements most makeup styles. The lasting power isn't bad either! If you see one on Ebay, I'd highly recommend it.

Revlon Demure

A very creamy and moisturising lipstick with a slight peachy tone. This one also has no smell/taste and the packaging makes it look fancy. I'm a huge fan of Revlon lipsticks and this doesn't disappoint!

Rimmel Birthday Suit

I've mentioned this one before and it's a great caramel toned lipstick. It has a vanilla scent to it and can be a bit dry on the lips as it's supposed to be a longer lasting formula. I'd say it lasts around 4 hours. This one is slightly frosted (you can't really tell from the swatches) which I don't mind.

Boe Beauty Birthday Suit

I wonder where they got the name? Once you get over the flimsy packaging, the lipstick itself is pretty decent. I bought this one as a cheaper alternative to the Rimmel version of Birthday Suit. This is a nude toned  peach colour with no frost. It has a very mild scent that reminds me of plastic...in a good way? But it's not noticeable on the lips. This one is very smooth and creamy, great value for a $2 lipstick.

Revlon Berry Smoothie

This one featured on my pink lipsticks post, but I simply adore this shade so I threw it in again! A lovely berry pink that can be built up to be brighter. 

If you asked me to pick a favourite, I don't think I could! Do you own any of these shades?

Uni Supplies

What have I been buying lately? A whole lot of uni supplies, it seems. I start a new degree tomorrow, Master of Pharmacy. With every new year, new supplies generally help me go from lazy holiday mode to motivated student.

Here's what I've been buying...

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Typo Diary $6.95

Papermate Ink Joy pens (purple and pink) 12 pack $4.96

Typo pencil case $9.95

Glost Adhesive notes (pink) $2.97

Ditto Page Markers $1.48

I'm hoping the colourful stationary will help me get back into the swing of hectic uni life. 

Do you think colourful supplies keep you motivated?