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!