Daily blushes

My post about MLBB was quite popular, so I thought I'd continue on with the whole 'neutral' makeup concept and discuss some blushes that I have on rotation for everyday wear!

There are blushes that are natural enough to get away with wearing everyday. Then there are those that should be reserved for more special occasions. Here are some of the blushes that I like to wear on normal, boring days...

 L-R

NARS 'Luster'

Arbonne 'Blossom'

Sleek 'Rose Gold'

MAC 'Feeling'

Top going clockwise

MAC 'Feeling'

NARS 'Luster'

Arbonne 'Blossom'

Sleek 'Rose Gold'

L-R Swatches

Sleek 'Rose Gold'

Arbonne 'Blossom'

NARS 'Luster'

MAC 'Feeling'

NARS Luster (see full review here)
The perfect apricot blush for a gorgeous sunkissed glow! I adore this blush, it was love from day one. Well worth the money.

Sleek Rose Gold
This blush is similar to Luster, however it is more of a sunset colour and has more sheen to it. This is great for days when I feel dull and need a bit of extra glow to my face.

Arbonne Blossom
This one is like Rose Gold's peachy sister. It has a bit of shimmer to it and its great for when I want to have a natural, healthy look. Rather than the sleep deprived, zombie I've become lately.

MAC Feeling
This one is the only one without shimmer. I suppose it's like the odd one out and it's a bit more blue toned than the others which are warmer. A great everyday blush for winter.

What are some blushes that you like to wear on a daily basis? :)

March Empties

I was tossing up whether to even do an empties post this month. I haven't finished anything particularly exciting. This month I've had a few allergic reactions to beauty products, and been bitten by some nasty insects. I got bitten by a small spider on my back about 4 weeks ago and I'm still suffering from it. So to sum up March - itchy, pain and swelling. I hope you've had a better month than I have!

Nivea Pure & Natural face wipes

Simple Eye Makeup Remover

Aerogard

Palmer's Cocoa Butter lip balm stick

Nivea wipes

They were okay. Wipes don't really get me that excited and I've never used a brand of wipes that's made me think 'ohh I must repurchase!'. These are inexpensive and free from lots of nasties which is good if you've got sensitive skin!

Simple Eye Makeup remover

Grrrr. This isn't empty as you can see, but I've had a bad reaction to it now. I used to love this, it was so efficient and gentle when removing eye makeup...then it started burning my eyes. It made my eyes burn, water and sting for periods of up to half an hour! I find it odd that it started happening randomly. I emailed the company about it but haven't heard anything from them. To the bin with you.

Aerogard

Still didn't protect me against that spider bite and multiple green ant bites, did you? I'm going to have to go for something stronger. 

Palmer's Cocoa Butter lip balm

It was cheap and I was looking for something to throw in my handbag. This smells really good, like their body butter and it's pretty thick in terms of consistency. I've noticed that it makes my lips burn though...so it's also being chucked! 

So in summary, I'm not going to repurchase any of my empties from this month. I hate to write such a dismal, negative post but that is an accurate summation of how my month was. I'm wondering maybe the insect bites, which have put poisons into my body, have triggered these unusual product reactions?

Anyways, what have you used up this month? 

You smell so good...

Walking into the Body Shop today made me realise how much I love beautiful smelling products! I often get compliments on how good I smell, so I thought I'd showcase some of the goodies I can attribute this to...

 Palmers Cocoa Body Butter

The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter

1. Palmer's Cocoa Body Butter
I get lots of compliments when I use this as I smell like chocolate!

2. The Body Shop Body Butter in Strawberry
Ohmygosh this is so yummy. Strawberry is my favourite smell and this is heaven for me. I get loads of compliments when I use this, even from my male friends.

Versace Bright Crystal

3. Versace Bright Crystal
A lovely gift from my man, I love everything about this perfume! It smells divine.

Tommy Girl perfume

4. Tommy Girl by Tommy Hilfiger
This is probably my signature scent. Absolutely adore this.

Herbal Essences Hello Hydration Shampoo

Herbal Essences Drama Clean Shampoo

5. Herbal Essences Hello Hydration shampoo
Want to smell like a coconut-y tropical paradise? Look no further. The smell will last in your hair for a few days too.

6. Herbal Essences Drama Clean shampoo
C'mon, we all know why Herbal Essences are so popular...this smells like exotic flowers with a mix of tea tree.

TIGI Bed Head Ego Boost

TIGI Bed Head Foxy Curls

7. TIGI Bedhead Ego Boost Leave-In conditioner
Yum, berries! TIGI is another one of those brands that smell good enough to eat.

8. TIGI Bedhead Contour Curl Cream
Great for keeping natural waves/curls in place and having hair that smells like Skittles.

9. The Body Shop lip balms
How can anyone not own one of these? I just want to eat them.

What are some of your favourite smelling products?

Arbonne cosmetics - swatches and review!

After receiving some lovely Arbonne cosmetics to sample, I thought I would share with you what I thought of them!

Until about a month ago, I had never heard of Arbonne. I received some samples in the mail and I really liked them. So I was pretty excited to trial some other Arbonne products.

Arbonne blush in Blossom

update: additional photos 29/04/2013

The packaging is really cute, and this might sound strange but it's nail safe...I dislike clasps where you end up breaking nails to get them open! The blush itself is really pigmented and a gorgeous peachy colour, perfect for a natural healthy look. It has a bit of shimmer, but nothing too extreme thankfully. I think it is slightly similar to Sleek Rose Gold but it leans more towards the pink-peach side. 

It applies smoothly and wears well throughout the day. It is a true warrior as it still looks great after long, hot days :)

If you're in the market for a great blush that gives you a warm glow for everyday wear, I'd recommend this one to you!


Arbonne lipsticks
I also received two different lipsticks to try out. Satin is a neutral, wearable every day shade and Jam is a deep red wine colour.

Satin (left)

Jam (right)

Satin

Jam

Blossom (blush)

I really like the slim tube for these lipsticks. I think the small head of the lipstick makes it a lot easier to apply.  They glide on smoothly, but Satin does feel a little grainy because of the shimmer. They're quite moisturising and not at all drying. As for wear time, my lips seem to dissolve lipstick so I'm not the best judge of that! 

Satin is a gorgeous colour for day wear, and Jam looks lovely for a night out with friends. Both lipsticks are of excellent quality.

Overall, I've had a great experience with Arbonne so far!

Have you tried any Arbonne products?

NB: These products were sent to me to review. All my opinions are honest and based on my own experience.

MUA Rant

I've just had a truly appalling experience with MUA. Some of you may recall their 50k promo in January where they offered 50% off and free shipping. I had been waiting for this offer for quite some time, so I was very excited about it.

They had a lot of problems with the site and asked everyone to stay off, so I didn't go on until about 2 days into the sale. I made an order which came to about $28 with the discount. 

My order was 'sent' on the 31st of January. After three weeks, I emailed them asking where my order was. They send me an automated reply saying that the parcel was not considered lost until 35 days and to contact them on the 10th of March. I waited until the 10th of March and nothing showed up. 

So, I emailed again and asked if they would kindly resend my order. I said a few other things too. Nearly two days later, they reply saying they will give me a refund. They ignored everything I wrote. Um, I didn't want a refund. I wanted my stuff. Why should I have to miss out on the 50k offer? I did everything right by them, I stayed off the site while it was down and this is what I get?

Of course they won't give me the items now because the sale is long over, to be honest, I doubt they even sent my order in the first place. What annoys me the most is that it took 6 weeks to be informed about this. 

Will I ever order from them again? NO WAY! Not unless this situation is rectified! 

Thanks MUA for your truly shitty service. 

I'm sorry for such an angry post, but I feel like I should share my terrible experience with fellow bloggers! 

Have you experienced anything like this before?

Dry, cracked lips...what worked and what didn't!

I don't know why, but lately I've experienced awfully dry lips. My lips feel so tight when I smile and the corners of my mouth have also cracked too, ouch! 

Let me give you a brief run-down of my lip care routine...

I usually apply a lip balm in the morning, then wear lipgloss/lipstick on top. I generally don't reapply during the day. At night time, I slather on a heavy coating of another thicker lip balm. 

So why are my lips so dry? Your guess is as good as mine! I thought I was doing a good job at protecting chapped lips, but apparently not.

Now that my lips are a mess, I've been using a few different products to see what might help...

What didn't work...

L-R

Nivea Fruity Shine lip balm in Strawberry

Nivea Repair & Protection

Nivea Hydro Care

Oh no. My beloved Nivea has let me down. These guys are my daily essentials, and I think they may be the culprit for my dry lips. The weather hasn't been particularly dry, mostly wet...

I wear the Hydro Care balm during the day as it's quite light to wear and it lives in my handbag. The Repair one is my overnight companion, and the fruity shine is for when I feel like a bit of flavour.

Now here is what I used to help return my lips to their un-chapped state...

L-R

Lucas' Papaw Ointment tube

Maybelline Baby Lips 

A few days of slathering the papaw ointment over my lips has brought them back to their soft state. This has also helped heal the cracks on the sides of my mouth. Baby Lips has also been great at making my lips soft and smooth again.

What products and remedies have you tried on sore, dry lips?

NARS blush in Luster

Omigosh, my first NARS purchase. I've always wanted to try a NARS product, but they are just so expensive. I ordered one of their blushes, Luster, from cosme-de for $30ish with free shipping. I highly recommend them, they posted my order quickly and I believe it is authentic.

What made me choose Luster? Well, to be honest, it seems like everyone owns the famous Orgasm blush. Sure, it's a nice colour, but it doesn't really excite me. After a night of researching and looking at many swatches, I decided to go for Luster.

What do I think? I love it! While it may not be that unique in the pan, it gives a gorgeous, apricot-like sunkissed glow when applied. The pigmentation is amazing, and it's definitely the most long wearing blush I own. It survives hot, sweaty, 12 hour days and still looks as perfect at the end of the day as it did when I first put it on. 

Cosme-de is based in Hong Kong, hence the foreign writing! I find it strange that the expiry date says 2017 but in the bottom right hand corner it says 24 months?

Swatched

 Top - NARS blush in Luster

Bottom - Sleek blush in Rose Gold

I initially thought they looked a little bit similar, but they are not!

Wearing NARS Luster

Other:

L'Oreal Nude Magique Nude BB Cream

Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara

Australis eye pencil

Overall, I've had a fairly good experience with this, but I don't think I would buy too much more from NARS due to how expensive it is.

What are your thoughts on NARS products?