Monthly Favourites // January 2014

Yo y'all! We have come to the end of another month, and it brings the first monthly favourites of the year! Surprisingly for the first time, it actually feels like a new year (usually it takes me a bit of a while to get to grips with a new year). I've just started my final year of high school which I'm still in denial about :S but anyways let's get on to the faves! I have quite a few from my 2013 yearly favourites and also a couple of new products.

Biore UV Perfect Face Milk

This has been an absolute staple lately whenever I step outside. The Summer sun has been beating down and SPF is a must! This one is amazing, providing a very high SPF of 50+ PA+++ but honestly feels like nothing on the skin. It's an extremely thin, liquidy product that feels matte, almost velvety as you blend it into the skin and then proceeds to sink into the skin and mattify slightly.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup

Since I've been on school holidays, whenever I went out I opted for foundation. This one has been a go-to for me lately as it is pretty much a perfect colour match for me right now, it offers a good medium coverage or better and has a very natural, not too dewy or matte finish.

Heroine Make Mineral BB Loose Powder

This is essentially like a loose powder foundation but with the coverage of a BB cream. It's my first loose base product and it has been a nice experience! When paired with other products with a light coverage (BB creams) it gives a good medium/full coverage, or it can be worn alone with concealer for a similar coverage to a BB cream. Also I find it has quite good lasting power/oil control and it has a natural finish which isn't too matte!

Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So Bronze 1

Another multiple repeat favourite but I think I've become addicted to bronzer! I used to hardly wear bronzer as I thought I was already 'tan' enough, but I find the warmth and natural colour it gives the face is so pretty. I find my makeup looks incomplete without it! I've been wearing it every time I wear makeup.

Illamasqua Concealer in shade CC325

I picked this up on a whim to try my hand at some cream contouring. It's the darkest brown shade I own which is good as I've found others I own (Sleek Contour Kit in Light) to be only a bit darker than my skintone. The formula of this is quite a dry, stiff cream, one that I imagine wouldn't work too well as a concealer. I find it lasts extremely well on the skin (better than some powders) as it seems to just stick to the skin. I apply it with the Real Techniques Contour Brush which applies it really precisely but still blends the edges well.

Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

A lovely warm pink shade that I've been wearing a lot lately as it complements quite a few of the lip shades I wore this month. The cream applies really well with a stippling brush and stays creamy without being too dewy.

Lorac Pro Eyeshadow Palette
I know, I know, could I mention this any more times? For eyeshadow this month though, I've pretty much been reaching for these solely along with some other cream eyeshadows. My particular favourite shades this month were Taupe and Gold. Taupe being an amazing crease shade for pretty much any look and Gold which can be a pretty intense coppery gold shade. I've been loving wearing it on the outer half with a lighter shade all over.

L'oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara
Ironically, if I were to ever do a disappointing products post, this would probably make it. It's been hyped up a lot by the likes of Anna from Vivianna Does Makeup and Suzie from Hello October (whose videos I've been OBSESSED with lately), but at first I honestly almost hated this mascara. With time though, it has gotten better, but it's still not my favourite. It's the only waterproof mascara I have open at the moment though and WP is a must if I want to hold a curl. It can be a bit clumpy on the lashes which is probably due to the brush which I do hate, but I just comb them through and it slightly lengthens and thickens my lashes naturally.

Dusk Tropical Summer Candle
Although it has been blazingly hot, there have been the occasional rainy or bearable day when I like to burn a candle. Tropical Summer is a really lovely light and crisp scent, whilst still being a bit fruity. The scent throw is awesome on this and it actually burns really slowly so you get quite a few hours out of a rather small candle!

Disney's Frozen
I saw this last week and oh my goooooosh it was ADORABLE. Also it had an awesome story line that was a bit different to your typical Disney love story. Anna is so quirky and I love her, and Olaf and Kristoff and Elsa - PRETTY MUCH EVERYONE. The music is so good too, I've been rocking out to it for the past week and a bit, and the songs have been stuck in my head constantly!

What have your new year faves been?

Collective Haul // January 2014

Hallo people! Today I have quite the large haul to share which I've accumulated throughout January and also the end of December. The after Christmas period is the best for sales, and y'all know I love a good sale. It's a long'un...

Of course I had to pick up a few nail polishes...

Essie Marshmallow 

I found this in the clearance bin at my local Myer for only $5! This is actually a shade that I've wanted for a while - a white jelly that would work really well in combination with a lot of different glitters for a jelly sandwich. They also had a few other shades but I decided I didn't need them :P

Sportsgirl Pink and Space Jam

These were both on clearance and came down to about $2 and $3 respectively. I've already done a NOTD with Pink here. 

Ulta3 Stop the Press

This is from Ulta 3's glitterati collection from July last year and I only happened across this polish at the end of December. This was the only one I wanted from the collection so I'm super glad I found it! It's a mix of black and white matte glitters which are starting to filter down finally into mainstream brands!

Skincare stuff...

Trilogy Rosapene Day & Night Collection (Limited Edition)

I found this in my Priceline for half price which brought it down to $18. Considering the Rosehip oil alone retails for something like $30, I thought this was an excellent deal! I'm also nearing the end of my Kosmea Rosehip Oil so I'm excited to try the Antioxidant +!

Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

I actually bought this full price :( ($20) haha, but I realised I was in desperate need of a new cleanser. I haven't heard an awful lot about this one (some good, some bad) but - please correct me if I'm wrong - it seems to be the only Hot Cloth Cleanser available in a drugstore setting. I didn't feel like ordering online again and I do like trying new products!

Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator

I purchased this in the Priceline 40% off skincare sale so it came down to $12. I haven't tried many face scrubs and none aimed specifically at radiance, so I decided to pick this up.

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

Again purchased in the 40% off sale. This is my third tube so that should speak for itself!

On to the makeup!

Stila Under the Mistletoe palette

I've already reviewed this here and if you've read it you'll know I'm not too impressed with this palette. It was only $12 so I'm not too sad but I was caught up in a whirlwind of wanting to try some Stila products!

Maybelline Fit Me concealer in shade Medium

I'm running semi-low on my concealer (I've hit considerable pan) so I thought I'd pick this concealer up. I've heard some pretty darn good things about it and it seems like everybody owns it! I payed full price ($15) for it which I'm pretty annoyed about as Maybelline goes on sale all the time but oh wells.

Benefit Go Tropi-coral Lip and Cheek kit

If you remember my wishlist, my friend bought this for me from America (thank you Yasmin!). It was about USD$30 (with tax) and actually, considering the dollar rate is actually pretty bad, I don't think I saved that much. It retails here in Australia for $40 so I probs could have bought it here but regardless I'm super happy to have it!

NYX Powder Blush in Terra Cotta

I was really excited to hear that NYX was rolling out into Targets around Aus but sadly my local Target isn't stocking it! I find that really annoying as it's pretty much a brand new Target...grrr. So anyways, I only managed to get to a stand recently. I bought this as I've heard about its similarities to NARS Lustre and also it's just a gorgeous shade! It retails for $9.95 which isn't too horrific.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12hr blush in Exposed

Another item Yas picked up for me. I had my heart set on either the Tarte blush palette from the holiday collection or the Stila convertible colour palette, but both were sold out. This guy was my next preference because I knew I had to try something from Tarte considering they are extremely hard to get a hold of in Aus. These blushes are raved about by anyone who has ever used them and Exposed is a popular shade that is different to my typical peachy-pinks!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Shimmering Sand

I've seen this floating around in the clearance bin for a few months now, but finally picked it up upon seeing the $2 sticker on it. It actually rang up to a mere $1 at the till so even better! It's quite a moussey-liquid texture that is slightly glittery but overall a nice warm golden-tan shade.

Illamasqua Concealer in CC 325

I saw this at the Illamasqua counter in the sale section (which by the way had some amazing products for really good prices!) for only $6 so I decided to grab it. It's a deep brown shade that I thought I would use for cream contouring. So far, so very good, but I'll save the deets for a review!

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Berry Brulee

After seeing a few swatches, I knew I wanted to pick up this shade from the limited edition collection of lip crayons. They retail for only $5 and Berry Brulee is a gorgeous wearable berry-purple. The formula is amazing too!

Revlon Living Lipstick in Blase Apricot

I saw - what I assume - was the whole line being clearanced at Myer for $6 a piece. I initially dismissed them on account of their old lady looking packaging, but this shade caught my eye. It's a really pretty pinky-peach with a lovely soft, creamy and pigmented formula.

Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude in Nude Caramel

I stumbled across this at Terry White for only $10. It has a formula akin to the Revlon Lip butters or L'oreal Nutri shine lipsticks. The shade is a peachy-brown nude that comes out slightly lighter that it appears in the tube.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp

Of course I had to buy this. I've heard a ton about these and this shade in particular. I'll save it all for a review! It retails for $12.95 which I thought was a bit steep...but girls gotta do...

I'm also very happy to have a Sephora bag. Teeheee :D

Non-beauty stuff!

Kikki.K Fun for Everyday set

This was reduced to $11 which is AWESOME for Kikki.K stuff! It's from the Christmas sets but the stuff inside is absolutely adorable. Inside is a notebook, cards and envelopes, two pens and two magnetic bookmarks.

Kikki.K Celebrate Today Iphone Case

If you sign up to be a Kikki.K member, you get a $10 voucher on your initial sign up and on your birthday. There's no minimum spend, only that they have to be full price. This case came down to $2.95 and I love the pastel, simple pattern. It also came with a screen protector which I was in dire need of haha.

Dusk Tropical Summer Mood Reed and Candle set

This set from Christmas was marked down to $12. I love the scent a lot. It's a fresh and crisp, slightly fruity but also sexy scent that is perfect for summer.

Phew! That was a long post! Props to you if you actually read it all! I'm planning on going on a spending ban as I'm really content with my collection right now, and I really don't desperately want anything (shocker) for now. I'm also starting to save up for a possible trip to New Zealand at the end of the year (fingers crossed!). It shouldn't be hard to stick to the ban as I'll be back at school anyway, leaving little time for shopping! 

Burning on a Budget

Hi guys! Today I have a post about scented candles! I love burning candles as I love the aroma they give off and in general their ambiance and how for me they immediately make a room seem more cozy. But, being the stingy cheapskate I am, I would never pay upward of $15 for one! So I have a review of my favourite scented candles for their price!

They are the Kmart Fragrant Candles! I have six scents that I will be reviewing, though please bear with me as I really suck at describing scents! Kmart has a range of about eight different scents I believe, with a number of different types like jars, tea lights, cylinder ones (don't know the proper name!), etc.

These first ones are the smallest and cheapest, packaged in adorable glass jars. These retail for only $1! I have all four scents in this packaging.

Fig & Papaya:

This is the green one and probably my second favourite out of the whole bunch. It is a slightly sweet fruity scent. It is quite a subdued fruity smell, not citrus-y but it's definitely still quite fresh. I actually have no idea what fig smells like but this candle isn't very papaya-y in my opinion. I just really love this scent!

Apple & Rhubarb:

This is the red one and I really love this scent! It is probably the closest to like a 'baked goods' sort of scent..? It smells something like Apple and Rhubarb crumble and it just smells so yummy..

Clean Linen:

This is the white one and I'm not really a soapy scent type of person and this one isn't an exception. I just picked it up on a whim, it was only $1 after all. It just smells straight up like soap, not really like clean linen. I thought it might be nice to burn in the bathroom, but it doesn't really give off much scent at all anyway.

Blackcurrant & Plum:

This is the purple one and I really cannot describe the scent of this one! It's quite similar to the Apple & Rhubarb, only with more berry and less edible smelling... I do really like it though!

All of these had really good scent throw (how much scent it gives off) bar Clean Linen. For their size they can really make a room smell good!

These larger varieties packaged in glass cups cost $3 each. These come in four scents (different from the range of small jar candles) of which I have two.

Comforting Vanilla and Jasmine:

This is by far my favourite scent of all of them! It is a classic, clean vanilla scent and is quite sweet. It is very warming to the room and as the name suggests, I really feel quite comforted when I burn this candle. This has  the best scent throw of the ones I've tried and really coats the room.

Uplifting Lemongrass & Lime:

This is the green one and is very fresh, summery scent. The Lemongrass is definitely there but isn't overwhelming like some lemongrass scents. I'd say that the 'Lime' offers up a bit of citrus to the mix. This one doesn't have an amazing scent throw but you can definitely smell it when you walk into a room.

So that is my Kmart candle collection! I think these are awesome, they definitely surprised me quality wise and for the price, there's really nothing to lose! I also quite like the packaging, haha. Great to repurpose as storage! Head in to your Kmart and give these a sniff! They live in the lighting section.

Monthly Favourites | March 2013

Today I have my March favourites to share and surprisingly, this month has not gone as fast as usual! These are the products I have been loving for the month.

First up I have a few skincare/body care things to talk about.

The Garnier Pure 3 in 1 Wash-Scrub-Mask has been quite a nice product that I've been using lately. Masks are products that my 'collection' are severely lacking so I picked this one up on a whim, having heard good things about it and it being on sale. I've been really liking it as a mask and a scrub! I find it quite purifying and has helped my skin a bit. I will have a more in-depth review up soon though!

For the bod, I've been slathering on L'Occitane's Ultra Rich Body Lotion. It's quite a light weight lotion but is intensely moisturising. It sinks in very quickly and by the next day them legs don't look quite so much like a dehydrated desert.... I'm sure I will be using this lots in the coming cooler months!

For my base, I've been head over heels for Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation which has already received a rave here. I just love the finish of it and the oh-so natural glow it gives the skin. I've also been liking mixing it with my moisturiser to provide a bit of a sheerer coverage for daily wear.

For concealer I've been using Estee Lauder's Double Wear concealer in the shade light medium. I used to use this as my all over concealer but it has since become a bit too light for me. This past month I've been using it under my eyes and I really like it! It slight brightens the area and covers darkness. It doesn't cake, settle and isn't drying. I find it is much more long wearing under the eyes than on blemishes.

For lips I've been liking my EOS Lip Sphere in Summer Fruit which I'm actually so close to finishing! I find it's perfect for underneath lipsticks and the like as it is moisturising but has a thin texture so it doesn't mix with the lip product on top. I love the smell and taste too!

For when I do wear eyeshadow and want quite a natural look, the Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Nude Palette has been my go-to. Filled with matte shades, it has just been so easy to get that naturally enhanced look to the eyelids and the cheeks. I have a full review with swatches here.

On my cheeks has been a long-time fave, Clinique's Young Face Powder Blusher in Honey Blush. This is sadly discontinued but I absolutely love it for a natural but bright colour. It's matte so it's not obvious but it instantly brightens up my complexion.

A couple of random faves that I've been loving are:

The Comforting Vanilla & Jasmine Fragrant Candle from Kmart. On the dreary days of the month I've been loving this scent. Super warming to the room and very 'comforting'. Also can't beat the $3 price tag! I have quite a few of the candles from Kmart so I might just do a post on them.

I have been obsessed with this bracelet from Forever New! I love the rose gold and dainty studs with diamantes!

So those are my faves, what have you been loving for March?