Monthly Favourites // July 2018

So we are well and truly into the second half of the year...how that happened, I have no idea. I'm back at uni too (last semester!) so things are gettin' real and before you know it - I'll be graduating!! :O Exciting things happening at the end of the year though - I'm going on a trip to South Korea and Japan! Watch me spend ALL of the money on J and K-Beauty hahaha. Anyways, that's my news - onto this month's favourites because I actually have things to talk about this month!

What I've Been Watching #13

It's about time to update you guys on what I've been watching while being holed up as a blanket burrito these winter holidays! It's true, I really don't have a social life. Lmaooo. Anyways - I've been watching a lot. Too much, even. And shockingly enough - not all of it has been good! So I thought I would split this post up a bit into likes, mehs and hates (though hate is a strong word haha). 

In the Spotlight // Primers

Primer is one of those temperamental products that works for some people and doesn't for others. With my oily skin, primer is something I swear by and depend on to keep my makeup on all day! I've found some solid primers that work well for my skin, but I'm still on the hunt for the perfect mattifying primer that will control oil all day (the dream!). I thought I would run through my primer collection and give you guys reviews on them - some I love and some (or one) I don't... As I mentioned - I've got a very oily t-zone and pretty normal cheeks so keep that in mind when reading!

Colour Families // The Grungy Greiges

Back with another Colour Families post! I'm hoping one day I'll eventually chronicle my entire makeup collection through this series... haha! Today we'll be looking at the grungy greiges (as you can see, I'm still loving that alliteration) which I was super into maybe a year or so ago. After shunning cool tones for the longest time - I suddenly embraced them whole heartedly! Well, on the lips that is - I'm still not really a fan of taupe eyeshadows (but gimme mauves any day). I'm less obsessed with them now, but I've amassed a decent enough collection of them that I can do a post! Also, I've taken a bit of freedom with 'greige' haha. Some of these are cooler brown nudes, some veer a lot into the purple/mauve family, but on the whole we're basically in the same colour family! 

What's in my Custom Palette?

No favourites post again this month because there haven't been many new products I've been loving, so I thought I'd show some love to a constant fave in my collection that I don't mention too often (or at all really!) - my custom palette! It's actually a Z-Palette but since the whole social media debacle a year or so ago I don't totally want to support them (lol). Mine's actually basically full now though, so the next empty palette I buy will probably be from Colourpop or something (there are literally so many on the market so I'll have no probs not buying from Z-Palette again haha!). I have shadows from Colourpop, Makeup Geek and MAC in here, some of which are staples in my collection! So here is a dedicated post with swatches and reviews of all of them! :) 

Empties #17

It's empties time again! I'm a wee bit overdue this time around so I have a lot to talk about! It feels good to be finishing up products. I also did a wardrobe AND makeup declutter this past week so I'm feeling extra good about myself haha! I got rid of a tonne of makeup that I just wasn't using (or was super old) and my collection is a lot more streamlined. That being said, I still have a huge collection and way more than I actually need... haha. :P Anyway, let's dive into products I've actually finished!

Covergirl x Katy Perry // Katy Kat Palettes

While I'm overwhelmingly a dog person...I gotta admit that these palettes are pretty fricken adorable! Then again, I am a sucker for any makeup that has a special embossing or pattern on it! Today I'm coming at you with a review and swatches of the two limited edition Covergirl and Katy Perry Katy Kat Palettes in Hot Kat* and Cool Kat*. I'll be honest with ya, I wasn't expecting the greatest from these since I've become a bit of a snob with eyeshadow and much prefer high end brands (and Colourpop) - but these pleasantly surprised me!

Like Music to My Ears #12

I hath finished assessment for the semester! Hopefully that means back to semi regular blog posts up on here, but no promises because I'm lazy and disorganised - oops! Let's get back in the groove with a good ol' music post. There have been SO many new albums out lately that I actually had to leave some out from this post (so I could keep it to an even six haha). Perhaps if I'm still liking them by the next post I'll give 'em a mention ;) Anyway - let's dive in!

Monthly Favourites // May 2018

I literally CANNOT believe it's the end of May. Wheeeere tf did that month go. To be fair - I've been super busy this month, so I guess I just didn't notice it flying by?? This month was my bday month - I turned 21! - and a lot of my friends' birthdays too, so this month was a lot of social events! Also I am DEEP in assessment currently. To say I'm VERY STRESSED would be an understatement. So I'm gonna make this blog post quick ;)

Petal to the Metal // Smashbox + Vlada Rosemantic Highlighter

If you're a beauty junkie, I'm sure you would have seen the STUNNING Smashbox + Vlada collection making the rounds. The packaging of this collection is absolutely beautiful, and I think the collection is just so well thought out. The rose and rose gold theme permeates through the colours of the products, the packaging and of course the stunning embossing (if that's what you call it) on the powders. The highlights especially called out to me (and they are completely sold out at Mecca - oops!) and they truly looked like a gorgeous collector's item! While I wasn't planning on getting anything for myself, a few of my lovely friends got me the Petal Metal Highlighter in Rosemantic for my birthday. I am so grateful - it's such a special item and one I'll certainly treasure! The duochrome shade Prismatic Petal also looked super unique, but upon closer inspection it was actually very glittery and almost had a green-ish shift to it. I'm glad my pals got me Rosemantic as it's much more wearable and one they knew I'd get use out of!

MAC's Sunny Cheek Combo

I was fully intending on doing an April favourites post, but I completely forgot about it last week! So, when I went to take photos yesterday I realised that the only new things I've been loving lately were these two cheek products from MAC, that I was due to review anyway! So yes, I'm here with a review of the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun, and the MAC Powder Blush in Melba, which also happens to be an April favourites!

What I've Been Watching #12

I'm here today with a long overdue update on my recent TV obsessions! While it's been a hot minute since my last TV faves post, it doesn't mean I've stopped watching TV! My faves today are all new shows that I haven't spoken (or written, rather) about before. I've been keenly watching Silicon Valley and Brooklyn Nine-Nine which have recently come back, and I've also binged the new seasons of A Series of Unfortunate Events (incredible! Still love this show, it's so clever and they've gotten to the books that I hadn't read so it's new to me!), Jessica Jones (good, but nowhere near as good as season 1. Again, way too long) and Santa Clarita Diet (still v funny and a good quick watch!). I also watched Nailed It! (hilarious and a good, nothing-to-do type of show) and Everything Sucks (didn't love it but the ending brought it home). 

Skincare Haul // April 2018

It's been a little while since I've really bought new skincare! I'm the kind of person who buys in bulk and hoards backups, which usually means I have a bunch of products just waiting to be used in my drawers. This haul is probably no exception - these products will probably sit in my drawers for a little while before I actually get to using them haha! That being said, most of these backups were needed! So, let's dive in!

ColourPop Reviews #4

It seems like Colourpop is the only brand I ever talk about on here anymore...but can you blame me? I'm still thoroughly enjoying their products, and I'm here to share the batch of reviews from my last big order! As I say in basically every post, I just can't get enough of Colourpop! They have such a wide range of products, colours and finishes, and all at super affordable prices. The fact that they keep pumping out new releases doesn't help either! I told myself this would be my last order for a looong while though...

Monthly Favourites // March 2018

Halllloo guys! I hope you've all had a wonderful long Easter weekend! I for one probably relaxed a little bit too much considering I have so many assignments that need doing! Monthly favourites time has rolled around again, and I actually couldn't think of many things to talk about! But, then I remembered all the skincare I haven't yet mentioned on the blog that I've been really liking over the past couple of months! So let's dive in!

Haul // Estee Lauder Corporate Store #3

Talk about a throwback post if there ever was one! It's been a looooong time since my last Estee Lauder Corporate Store haul (2+ years actually) - not that I ever went there often but going to the corporate store actually reminded me of my early blogging days funnily enough! My mum actually got a membership thing through her work which means she can go whenever she wants, and I was able to sign up too so now I can go whenever too?! That could be dangerous... If you guys are unfamiliar with it, the Estee Lauder Corporate Store is where they sell any excess or limited edition Estee Lauder owned brands' products at a discounted price. You can usually go by invitation only, but I'm not completely sure on the rules! Even though I can now go whenever, I doubt I'll go a lot because I don't believe they get new stock that often! Also, randomly, since watching Beauty News's video about how old their makeup is, I was paranoid that this stuff would be super old (since it's excess stock), but I actually checked and everything was made last year so still pretty new!

Like Music to my Ears #11

It's about that time again for me to round up what I've been listening to lately! I actually got Spotify premium at the end of last year, and since then my music listening life has kind of been changed forever! I can actually listen to ALL OF THE music while I'm out and about (and not just the albums I've downloaded onto my phone). Because of that, I've kind of been listening to a bunch of stuff and not really dedicating time to any one album. That being said - here are some of the (mostly new) releases that have stuck out to me!

Shimmer, Glitter + Glow with Stila

I am notoriously bad at reviewing things in a timely matter - case in point, here I am reviewing products from a limited edition holiday set from last year! Whoops! While not totally on time, this review is still suuuuper relevant ;) The Stila Eye for Elegance Liquid Eye Shadow Set sold out super quickly last year, but thankfully pretty much all of these shades are available permanently. The set contained six minis of their liquid eyeshadows, three in the Shimmer & Glow formula, and three from the now famous Glitter & Glow formula. The Shimmer & Glows actually just launched in Australia, so maybe this review is timely after all!

Monthly Favourites // February 2018

Well February sped by pretty quick hey!? I didn't do a favourites post for January mostly because I didn't have anything new to talk about, but also because I did my yearly favourites and didn't want to bombard you guys with favourites posts! Regardless, I've got a few new and old faves to share with you for the month of February! Surprisingly I haven't been buying many new beauty things (mainly just massive Colourpop orders here and there) so you may see a few repeat products popping up over the next few months! I guess that's a good thing though because I need to appreciate my collection and stop buying stuff I don't need!

Colour Families // The Millennial Pinks

Whelp it's been about a year since my last colour families post which makes me sad because I love doing these! There's something about seeing a bunch of the same coloured makeup products together that makes me happy - which is probably why I love doing monochromatic looks so much! While I fully intend on keeping this series going - who knows how long it will be until my next one haha! Today though, we're diving into the millennial pinks aka THE colour of the moment! I've become absolutely obsessed with this shade in fashion and homewares, and naturally that obsession has bled into my makeup! It's kind of hard to find makeup items that are the perfect shade of ~millennial pink~ as it's such a pale colour and pinks in general can look so different on different skintones. So - most of these might be more of a "blushed pink nude", but I'm still super into them and they complement each other well!

Empties #16

It's empties time again! As per the usual, I've got a heap of skincare and almost zero makeup but hey, at least I'm using up my products! Not much more to say in this intro, so let's dive in!

ColourPop Reviews #3

It kinda feels like Colourpop is the only makeup I'm buying right now - as evidenced by the fact that I just made another massive order last week. What can I say, I am loving them right now! Honestly they cannot be beat in terms of affordability, product quality and product range. They really do offer very good quality, trendy products in a huge range for very low prices. Not to mention the fact that they are constantly having sales and release a new product what seems like every other day. All of that combined means I just can't resist making orders all over the place! That being said, was I the only person to notice they increased the prices of the Ultra Mattes and Satins by 50c?? Petty I know, but dang Colourpop why u do. Anyway I made a couple of orders at the end of last year, and I've had enough play time to write some reviews! Check out my other Colourpop reviews here, here and here.

The Best of 2017 // Skincare

It's basically February but apparently I'm still stuck in 2017? It is late, but I'm finally rounding out my 2017 favourites with my favourite skin care products. Check out my makeup faves here! I haven't done an updated skincare routine in a long while, so think of this post as products I've been using recently, as well as my favourites!

My Top 6 Movies of 2017

This post is quite a bit late, but what can I say, I was struggling to come up with my favourite movies from last year! I kept delaying this post in hopes I would be able to see the movies I wanted to from last year but most of them are unavailable, and others I liked but not enough to make my faves. There are a couple of movies I still really want to see that might have made my list, like Lady Bird (which technically only comes out in cinemas here in Feb so it might make an appearance in my 2018 faves!) and Call Me By Your Name. There were a lot of movies I liked from last year, but not a lot that really blew me away, which is why I had a little trouble coming up with my list. These six films from last year are all amazing though, so let's get into them!

The Best of 2017 // Beauty

I'm a little bit late to the 2017 roundup party, but better late than never! I'm also thinking of doing a skincare favourites of 2017 since I haven't done a skincare routine post in a while! Anyway, I tried to keep my 2017 favourites to products I actually discovered in 2017 and were new to me last year, but there are a few (three to be exact) repeats from 2016, and also a few products that I got in 2016 (perhaps toward the end of the year), but really loved in 2017. Do check out my 2016 favourites because I still absolutely love all of those products and many of them are still in my everyday rotation and could have easily been mentioned here! Also it wasn't purposeful, but I've actually got 17 products here, so it's my top 17 from 2017!

What I've Been Watching #11

It's about that time again...time to round up the latest tv shows I've been watching! I seem to do these roundups every three months, but some months I watch more shows than others! Seems to be the case these past few months (as I'm on holidays and I have nothing better to do than binge shows) as I have six shows to chat about! I also watched season 2 of the Crown and I enjoyed it. I liked how they focused on and delved more deeply into characters other than Elizabeth this season - like Philip! I had no idea he had such an extreme backstory haha. I was a bit sad for Margaret though - but I guess you can't change history! 

Monthly Favourites // December 2017

Happy new year frens! I hope you guys had an amazing holiday break, and a wonderful new years! I cannot believe we're in 2018..it's really quite a daunting prospect! I'm pretty sure I'm more scared than I am excited for 2018 but hopefully it has good things in store for all of us! I wasn't planning on doing a December favourites (my yearly 2017 favourites is in the pipeline!) but there were actually a lot of new products I really loved through the month that aren't going to be mentioned in my yearly faves, but definitely deserve a shoutout!