The Standouts of 2013

Hello 2014! I hope you guys all had a happy new year! I cannot believe another year has been and gone, and it will probably take me a while for the fact that we are in 2014 to sink in. Anyways lets live in the past and take a look at my most favoured products from 2013! I haven't covered all categories as I didn't necessarily have a FAVOURITE favourite for every area. Despite that, I still had trouble narrowing things down so you're in store for quite a few products! Also, I haven't touched on tools or skincare, haircare, bodycare or nails. For tools, pretty much all Real Techniques and for skincare, check out my skincare routine posts here, here and here. Reviews have been linked where applicable! Let's jump in!

Face:

• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
• Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream in shade Medium
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in shade Light Beige
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin liquid makeup in shade Natural Beige

I find the Laura Mercier primer generally good at prolonging the wear of foundation and keeping it looking better for longer. My BB cream favourite was hard to choose, but I found myself reaching for the Maybelline a lot. Good colour, coverage and finish. Foundation wise, for a lot of the year the Bourjois was a go-to but I found the shade quite light towards the end of the year. I've used it by mixing with other products and a hefty load of bronzer. Lovely finish on the skin and a nice light-medium buildable coverage. The Neutrogena is pretty much a spot on colour and offers a good medium coverage with a very natural skin like finish. Not too dewy or too matte.

Cheeks:

• Models Prefer Desk to Date
• The Balm Instain Blush in Toile
• Essence Silky Touch blush in Natural Beauty
• Sleek Contour Kit in Light
• Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So-Bronze 1
• The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

I am a self-professed blush junkie but these three were probably my most worn. I like Desk to Date for an easy, goes-with-everything light peachy pink, Toile for something slightly brighter but still natural and Natural Beauty for a bit of a 'nothingy' cheek - it's the perfect blend of a blush, bronzer and highlighter in one. For contouring my main favourite has been the Sleek (mainly just the contour shade), a nice brown that isn't hard to work with and creates a natural looking shadow. For bronzing all over the face, Jane Iredale has been my pick. A nice warm brown that is only slightly darker than my skintone and gives warmth and colour to the face. Highlighter fave is hands down Mary Lou-Manizer. It provides an amazing champagne-golden glow which I love.

Eyes:

• Essence I love Stage Eyeshadow Base
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Stay-on Shadow Paint in shade Halo
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in shade Bad to the Bronze
• MAC eyshadow in shade All that Glitters
• Essence Gel Eyeliner in shade BBC All Night Brown
• Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Nude Palette
• Lorac Pro Palette, particularly shades Taupe, Espresso, Gold, Lt. Bronze and Pewter
• Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in shade Dark Chocolate

The sadly discontinued Essence eye primer has been my most used and loved this year. My two favourite cream shadows were from Estee Lauder and Maybelline. Bad to the Bronze made the perfect single shadow eye look while Halo was both a great base and all over lid shade. All that Glitters was definitely a favourite - I love the pinky-beige metallic colour! Also discontinued is the Essence Gel Liner which I used quite often for both a winged liner and smudged on the lower lashline. The deep bronzy brown made for a perfect casual liner look. The Napoleon palette is filled with matte shades which I used both on their own or to accompany other eyeshadows. Also filled with mattes is the Pro Palette which contains a bevy of shades to create a multitude of looks! Also some of the best formulas were found in this palette. Pretty much the only thing to grace my eyebrows was the Dolly Wink powder - perfect shade for my black hair!

Lips:

• Essence lipstick in shade All about Cupcake
• L'oreal Nutri-shine balm in shade Nudy Coral
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Venetian Rose
• L'oreal Nutri-shine Lipstick in shade Pink Nude
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Soft Amethyst
• NYX Butter Gloss in shade Peaches and Cream
• Witchery Lip Gloss Wand in shade Blossom
• Nivea Lip Butter

All about Cupcake and Nudy Coral were probably my most worn lipsticks of the year. All about Cupcake being the perfect my-lips-but-better (and more pink) and Nudy Coral being a lovely tinted lip balm with the tiniest hint of colour. Venetian Rose is sadly discontinued but is probably the best peachy nude I've come across so far. It's not really nude but it's really the perfect neutral peach for my skin tone! Pink Nude is just a beautiful colour. It's got hints of pink and peach, with a neutral tone - lurve it! For the wearable purply-plum lip, my fave has to be Soft Amethyst. Lovely formula and really flattering! It's purple without being PURPLE. The NYX gloss has a lovely texture and the colour is just really lovely. The Witchery gloss however, is the lipgloss that got me liking lipglosses. Probably my favourite lipgloss formula yet (though the NYX is rivaling it) - thin, non-sticky and pigmented. The Nivea lip balm has definitely been my fave. My lips have been very fussy and lip balms that I used to love seemed to irritate my lips. The Lip Butter saved my lips and has been pretty much the only balm I've used since!

Fragrance:

• Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia

This scent has definitely been my most used. It's light, summery and really nice for every day wear.

So that concludes my beauty favourites for the year that was! I will be doing a part two concerning more 'entertainment' favourites I guess you could call them, including favourite TV shows, books, movies and other varying ways to procrastinate.

What have been your favourite products of 2013?

Smelly Sunday | Green Tea Camellia

Today I have another edition of Smelly Sunday! Before I get into the perfume, I wanted to remind everyone that GFC (Google Friend Connect) will presumably be no longer on the 1st of July. There are quite a few rumours circling about the fate of GFC, but I believe Google is trying to push everyone to use Google Plus. To keep up to date with my blog, I highly recommend following me with Bloglovin'. I have the link in my sidebar or you can click here. It's very easy to create an account, and it is a very efficient way of following and reading blogs! Onto the fragrance today, I have the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia perfume.

The original version - Green Tea - was released in 1999 and since there have been many renditions of the scent, Camellia being one of them.

Elizabeth Arden describes it as:

"Delicate. Graceful. Intriguing. Discover the world of Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia. Renowned for its rare beauty and revered for its use in the traditional tea ceremony, the camellia brings an intriguing floral scent to the crisp freshness of the original green tea fragrance. Inspired by ikebana, the ancient art of Japanese flower arrangement, this luxurious fragrance reveals the delicate grace of a single perfect blossom as it unfolds petal by petal." 

Also according to Elizabeth Arden, these are the key notes:

Top Notes: Caraway, Fruity Rhubarb, Lemon, Orange Zest and Bergamot

Middle Notes: Cool Minty Peppermint, Green Tea, Sweet Jasmine, Spicy Carnation, Fresh Fennel and Crispy Celery Spice

Base Notes: Oakmoss, Musk and Amber

I find it is a very light, refreshing scent perfect for daytime wear and during the warmer months (though I've been wearing it quite frequently now, during Winter). I can definitely pick up the floral and citrus notes with the slight lingering of Green Tea.

The packaging is nothing special, being a sort of oval shaped, teal-tinted bottle. It is simple but practical. 

I find the scent lasts on the skin really well for an Eau de Toilette - I can still smell it on the skin 10 hours later. 

As I said, I really love this scent for easy, daytime wear and have been wearing it almost on a daily basis. This perfume is really affordable and can often be picked up for $15 or less from Chemist Warehouse or Priceline. It contains 100mL so it's definitely good value for money. 

Have you tried or own any of the 'Green Tea' scents? Which do you like best?

Monthly Favourites | May 2013

Heyo - it's that time again! Favourites time! I'm not going to drag on about how quickly this month has gone, blah blah blah, but we all know that it did! Anyhow, I have quite a few new products thrown in the mix today. 

First up for the makeup bits!

As we approach the cooler months, the weather sucks out all the moisture from my skin and lips! Especially here, the temperature dropped quite a bit, quite suddenly. To keep the lips smooth and supple I've been using a lip combo that helps all lip products apply to the lips a lot smoother. The Lush Popcorn lip scrub (limited edition) is a sugar lip scrub that helps scrub away all the dead and flaky skin, revealing soft, smooth lips. Popcorn is a really delicious caramel flavour. They advise to lick it off of your lips once scrubbed, but then....wouldn't you be eating your dead skin..? Yucky! Haha, the other lip product is the Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream. At first I wasn't so enthused by this balm, but I've grown to love it. It's not super intensely moisturising, or by any means the best lip balm EVER!!!! It's pretty average. It has got a lovely texture and sits well under lipstick and just what I've been reaching for most this month. The flavour melds well with the lip scrub too.

  For lip colour, I've been reaching for my Loreal Nutri-shine balm in Nudy Coral. As described here it's a really lovely lip balm in itself and provides the faintest hint of colour, with sparkle and shine.

For a lot of this month, I've really been enjoying my Bourjois Blush in 16 Rose Coup de Foudre. It is a beautiful peach-pink-apricot shade with a gorgeous gold shimmery-sheen. Very pretty. I'll be doing a review of it and the other shade I own soon.

I received the Neutrogena Dry touch sunscreen in the Neutrogena sample pack when I was definitely in need of a new one (my other one, Neutrogena Sport Face, had expired a year ago and I only realised recently..whoops...). I really like this suncreen, it has SPF 30+ and isn't dry to the touch per se, but it isn't crazy greasy or thick like other sunscreens. It is very lightweight and sinks into the skin well. It sits underneath makeup well and doesn't make me any oilier than I would be otherwise throughout the day. I'll definitely be picking up the full size with SPF 50!

It was inevitable, that these brushes were to feature in a favourites, and here they are. I sure have been loving ALL of the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brushes but these in particular I have been using the most. The Blush Brush and the Buffing Brush (each ranking 1st and 2nd on my fave brush list respectively). I won't go into detail but I've been loving the buffing brush for my foundation, you know the usual spiel. I'd never tried a flat-top type brush to apply my foundation before, and now I'll never go back! The blush brush has been my new brush-for-everything-powder. It works well for face powder, blush, bronzer, the works and I've been using it daily, maybe just to stroke its delightful softness...

I've never featured a perfume in a favourites before, now BOOM I have two here. I acquired both of these recently and have been loving them both. The first is Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia which is a wonderful fresh, floral amost citrus scent. Very subtle and great for daily wear - it lasts too. The other is Michael Kors Gold Rose Edition which is beautiful - my little review (with pic spam) here. I haven't worn it too much yet, but I know it will be a firm favourite in the future!

The last item is the Green tea facial wipes from Beauty Care Co. I snagged these for an easy $2 and they are actually really good. The towelettes themselves are quite soft and damp (though they could be more moist) and they remove everything bar waterproof mascara.

I ship it. Johnlock all the way.

A bit of a TV show favourite, since you know, I'm addicted. I recently got super into Sherlock, it's just perfection, so witty and mind-blowing awesomeness, that and I'm a raging Cumberbitch. I am soooo excited for it to come back in November.

There ye go, my May Faves! What have you guys been loving this month?

Collective Haul | Birthday and Bits & Bobs

Howdy! So on Saturday, it was my birthday! I thought I would do a bit of a haul on the things I bought with my birthday money. I also bought a few other things that I didn't necessarily use my bday money for, but were essentials! That's my excuse anyway...haha.

So, I've pretty much gotten all of what was on my first wishlist (all the things I really wanted at least) and the thing I was most excited about were the Real Techniques brushes!!! It was actually perfect when iHerb had their 20% off sale on the brushes, which made them even cheaper (along with a discount code)!! In my opinion that is a totally awesome bargain, keeping in mind iHerb sells the brushes at American RRP where Priceline sells them for more than double that! 

I bought the;

Core Collection (includes the Buffing Brush!) for $14.39 (full price $18).

Starter Set for $14.39 (full price $18)

Stippling Brush for $7.99 (full price $9.99)

Blush brush for $7.19 (full price $8.99)

I also picked up the Queen Helen Mint Julep Masque for $3.84, which is crazy cheap for the amount you get. I've heard really good things about this.

So with a $10 off code, it all came to a mere $41.80. Crazy!

You can use my discount code TKZ374 (First orders only) for $5 off or $10 off if you spend more than $40.

Kmart is quickly becoming my favourite store (lol, but seriously.) as lately it has been having really good sales and their stuff is so cheap. Across the board; clothes, shoes, candles, other essential shiz. CHEAP.

Anyway, I picked up three of the Face of Australia Glitterati polishes as they were having $4 off FOA, these worked out to be 75c (like I said, CHEAP)! I got Studio 54, Dancing Queen and Lookin' for some hot stuff. Sadly these were the only shades in stock, I'm still looking out for the milky ones!

I bought the Beauty Care Co Makeup remover pads and green tea facial wipes. Both were $2 each. Firstly, how cheap is that! You get 200 pads for $2! I usually get the Woolies ones (80 pack for $3) but no more!

Kmart also had a sale on some lippies for $5 each. I picked up the Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in the shade Salsa.

One more thing that I picked up from Priceline, the Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia Perfume. It was $15 for 100mL, pretty cheap. A spur of the moment purchase, but I really like the scent!

I went to Daiso which recently opened up in the Myer Centre, Queen St Mall. I was super excited as I've already been to one in Hong Kong and I had a blast! Everything was $2.80. I didn't go crazy at all and definitely could've bought more. Sadly though the Makeup Sponge detergent was sold out which is what I really wanted. They literally have everything, sweets, drinks, storage pieces, crockery and some cosmetics and skincare, and MOAR.

I picked up a sheet mask because I've really wanted to try one! I got the Collagen one (not that I really need it) but I'm hoping it will provide some moisture to my skin. My friend who was with me bought the Q10 one so we swapped so we could try both (you get 3 in a pack)!

More skincare bits:

I managed to buy the Origins Clear Improvement mask which was on my wishlist for $34 from Kit Cosmetics. I also grabbed a sample of the Drink Up Intensive mask (to which the SA was quite sour about...). Sadly at both Kit and Mecca, they didn't have the Soap & Glory cleanser that I wanted. Hurmph, I'll have to go online then.

Another thing to cross off my wishlist is the La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo which I'm super excited to get using! I bought mine from Terry White Chemists for $25.95. Not every store stocks LRP so you can find a local stockist here.

Lastly is a freebie which arrived just in time for my birthday! You can get this little Neutrogena sample pack for free as they are celebrating 50 years. As at the writing of this post, it is still available here. Simply follow the gift app directions and you'll be on your way!

So those were my self-gifted gifts for my self, haha. I also did get some other things from my sisters (Blackmilk leggings!) but I seriously need to go on a spending ban now!