Empties #15

Time to empty the trashbag into a dishevelled-chic flatlay! Probably the last empties of the year and I'm proud that I've gone through so many products. Enough with the preamble, because I know this post is going to be rambly as ffff!

Monthly Favourites // October 2016

I'm freeeeeeeeeee! (from assessment). Yep, that's right - I am officially on holidays for the year! The last week has been intense as I've been wall to wall with massive assignments but I am done! Which means I can get back into the swing of blogging (hopefully!). I have a few post ideas in the pipeline, but we're kicking it off today with my October favourites. I got a few new things last month that I've been loving using - so we actually have new stuff to talk about! Though, there are still some old faves in here - classique. Let's dive in, shall we?

Empties #12

I don't know how I didn't realise it, but my empties bin has been piling up rapidly! An empties post was long overdue and I have a lot of products to go through that I've finished in the past four months or so. Feels good to get rid of all this clutter! I'm pretty sure I've talked about most of these products on the blog before, so I'll link relevant reviews where applicable! I'll try to make it snappy as I've got so much to go through! If you have any questions on any specific products, hit me up in the comments ;)

The Best of 2015

Hallo humans! I'm finally getting around to wrapping up my favourites of 2015! I hadn't thought of what I would put in this post (was probably procrastinating lbr), but when I sat down to write up my list, there were quite a few obvious picks! I had quite a bit of trouble narrowing it down, and will probably throw in some honourable mentions too heh. I decided to go about picking the products I used and loved during 2015, not necessarily new products of 2015, though I did get quite a few of them last year. I'm also not mentioning products I got in the last couple of months, but you can catch up on those faves in my November and December favourites posts! Anyway, enough rambling, let's jump in before this post becomes 10000 years long!

Monthly Favourites // May 2015

HOW ARE WE BASICALLY HALFWAY THROUGH THE YEAR. THIS IS INSANE. May has been a hectic month for me. In my friendship group, May is, like, THE birthday month so pretty much every weekend I had at least one birthday 'do to attend (mine included! ;) )! While it was extremely fun catching up with everyone, it also meant I was super busy. Coupled with gift shopping, work, study and procrastination, there was little time left for blogging unfortunately! My blogging schedule has been all out of whack (kills me) but hopefully everything will be back to normal once I finish exams on the 10th! I've been trying to keep my bloglovin' feed contained, but it's so easy for the blogposts to just PILE UP! So, I'm trying to catch up on those too! Anyway, favourites-wise, as you guys saw, I've gotten A LOT of new stuff lately so I've been trying it all and not really using any one product a lot. I've rounded up the things I've loved though, but maybe haven't used them a tonne.

Monthly Favourites // February 2015

Farewell February, you probably won't be missed. Half of February I was extremely anxious and nervous for starting university, while the other half was O-week and actually at uni! So far it's been pretty okay, can't say I've made many friendlies (*cough* typical) but there'll be plenty of time for that...right???? So now that I'm a uni student and all, I've sort of been getting back into the groove of daily makeup, and sussing out what's "appropriate". I've noticed that not a lot of people wear much makeup to uni so I haven't exactly been pulling out the bold lips or smoky eyes...but here is what I've been wearing a lot of! Also...it's Autumn now! Thought I'd get into the spirit with a knit background lel, even though I probably won't be wearing this till Winter - it's still hot as a mofo out there!

The Best of 2014 // Makeup

Kiddies, it's time for the big 'un. The pinnacle and summation of 2014, documented in makeup products. I didn't want to make this post too long, and really tried to pick the products I used and loved most throughout 2014. I also didn't want to repeat anything from 2013's favourites, so products like the Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder or Lorac Pro Palette which I used and loved immensely, haven't been included. Speaking of 2013's faves, looking back, while a lot I still like, others I've completely ignored. Funny how opinions change! Also, APOLOGIES for the slightly grainy/off photos, the weather was shitty this day, and I had to edit the crap out of them! BUT anyways, I've done reviews for most of the products, so they'll be linked where applicable!

Monthly Favourites // May 2014

I cannot handle how fast this year is going! Half of 2014 is gone and I'm not ready for it to eeeend. Aaah, things are getting very real, very quickly. But of course, there will always be a favourites post to document the passing of another month. May was a good month - ma bday month as well as the birthday month of a lot of my friends, like geez there must have been much excitement in August '96...jus' sayin. So, there was much to be celebrated!

DKNY Delicious Night Eau de Parfum

Fragrance fave! My sister is moving down to Melbourne, *sad face* but that meant she was getting rid of a heap of her stuff - hair products, a couple of makeup bits and a shedload of clothes, as well as this perfume. This is probably one of the less popular out of the famous apple perfumes. I wasn't expecting to love this, but I have been spritzing it on most days! You would think from the name that it's more suited for nighttime wear, but actually since the weather has been cooling down it's not too heavy for the day. It's sweet and sexy but still has a fresh-fruity element. I might bring Smelly Sunday back to talk about it some more!

Garnier BB cream for Oily/Combo skin in Medium and Heroine Make Lasting Mineral BB cream in shade 2

A base favourite this month has been a mixture of these two. The Garnier being too dark and the Heroine Make too light, the combo of the two gives a really good shade match. The formulas are somewhat similar, the Heroine Make being superior in the coverage and lasting power departments, but together they give a really good coverage and lasting power, easily buffed on with a buffing brush.

MAC Opulash Mascara

Another sloppy seconds from my sister, and again I didn't really expect to like it because I've really heard nothing about it. Also, the brush is HELLA big, like the size of my eye. What surprised me about this mascara though is that it doesn't clump. Like the first time I used it I swear I put on 3 coats of the stuff, and didn't need to comb through with a spoolie. This is CRAZY for me because I can't stand clumps, and even comb through mascaras that aren't even badly clumpy/sticking my lashes together. Combing through is habit for me, and I didn't need to with this! It looks pretty natural, but gives good thickness, decent length and volume. It also doesn't smudge too badly by the end of the day.

Nvey Eco Natural Bronze Organic Compact Bronzer

Another product from my sister, and another that I didn't think much of to begin with. Wow, sensing a theme? Firstly, the colour didn't look too great in the pan. It's quite warm and red-toned, almost like…a dirt colour? Yeah, not so appealing and it definitely isn't appropriate for concentrated contouring. With a fluffy brush, I like the Real Techniques Blush Brush, it applies really nicely and looks very natural, especially around the hairline mimicking a sunkissed look. Also when swept lightly under the cheekbones it provides definition and shadow without coming off too ruddily.  It's completely matte, blendable and pigmented.

Essence Blush Up! in 10 Heat Wave

So obviously I love it, it's an ombre blush. Also the colour is absolutely up my street. The formula ain't too bad either, haha! It's very pigmented, but at the same time retains a translucency? I don't know how to explain it, or maybe I'm imagining things but it still lets your skin show through, with like a sheer...overlay of colour. Get me...? It's also pretty dang long lasting too!

Benefit Ultra Plush Lip gloss in Coralista

Out of the Benefit Go Tropicoral kit, this was the product I thought I'd be most 'meh' about, but turns out to be the only one I'm using on a regular basis. I haven't gotten around to reviewing that kit, I will though - once I get around to actually, properly using the products inside. This gloss though feels much like a balm, quite slippy and with a medium level of glossiness. The pigmentation is definitely on the sheer side, like the slightest wash of colour. It's also not sticky at all, even when it wears down it sort of absorbs into the lips. I like it a lot!

Bastille Bad Blood

A music favourite this month has definitely been Bastille and their debut album Bad Blood. My friend has been nagging me for ages to listen them, and sorry Yas for taking so long! I've basically been listening to the album on repeat, Dan Smith's voice is majestic, plus he's an all round cutie. Said friend plus a couple others are going to their concert in a couple of weeks which I'm so jealous about! I am going to Katy Perry at the end of the year though, so my concert quota is all filled up :( (but much excite for Katy). 

So it was a month filled with unexpected favourites, but favourites nonetheless! What have you been loving in May?

The BB Heroine

Today I have a review of a BB cream of the Asian variety - the Asian brands seem to do the best BBs am I right? They were the originals after all! I have the Heroine Make Lasting Mineral BB cream in the shade 02. Sadly they only have 2 shades and both are quite light, however that is how Asian BB creams tend to run. I picked this product on a total whim when I was in Hong Kong as I'd heard nothing about it, so I had no predispositions toward it!

The BB cream has an SPF of 34 with PA++ which is awesome to see in a makeup product - but considering how obsessed Asians are with protecting their skin, it's not surprising. Typically, Asian BB creams have many skincare benefits but seeing as all the writing on the package in another language, I'm not too sure if this one does (my Chinese reading skills aren't that good)! Regardless I'm not too fussed as that is why I use skincare!

The texture of the Lasting Mineral BB cream is thick but still creamy and easily blended. I usually use my fingers to really work the product into my skin, but a brush works fine too. Like I said in my last favourites, the coverage and lasting power of this BB cream are the best in my collection! The coverage is light to medium, but erring on the side of medium and buildable. When used rather thickly, I hardly need concealer and it functions as a foundation really, but it can also be applied lightly. It has a satin-matte finish initially. I find I can wear this for 10 hours and only really be shiny on the nose, and 'dewy' in the t-zone. It's actually a look I like as it's really melded with the skin and looks very natural. This is with setting powder (as always), however I don't use mattifying sunscreen underneath so it's definitely a testament to its staying power. Because it's a bit thicker, and a heavier coverage, it's not as natural looking or weightless on the skin as other BB creams. It doesn't accentuate dry patches or make my skin dry, but is a little bit more obvious on the skin - more like a foundation. Regardless - that is the trade off for a better coverage and staying power than lighter, skin-like products.

The shade 02 is a bit light for me, but what I like about it is that it is not grey toned or ashy like other Asian BB creams can be, but is actually yellow toned. Although the shade is a bit light, it's definitely workable and because it blends so well, it's hardly detectable! 

I absolutely love this BB cream and its staying power and coverage are outstanding. I've even been reaching for this over foundation as it offers similar coverage but has a better lasting power, and is one of those products that look better as the day goes on!

Monthly Favourites // March 2014

'Tis that time again...favourites time! I am almost finished up all my assessment for my first term of grade 12 which is scary stuff! I'm excited though to get into the holidays (obvs) so that I can do some more bloggy things and also catch up on tv shows and books ;). Anyways, because I've just been at school (and attempting a spending ban, which will inevitably end with the coming of holidays) I haven't been using many new products. I did however manage to scrounge together a few things I've been enjoying this month!

Organic Everescents Organic Pink Grapefruit & Ylang Ylang Leave-in Moisture

If you guys didn't already know, I have pretty dang damaged hair which is the result of me having not had it trimmed for moooooonthss but it also means it's super long :) I am getting it cut soon anyways! I haven't been using any heat on it though so it's been better than it would usually. This leave in conditioner has an interesting consistency - one akin to a body lotion which makes it interesting to use. It says you can use it on dry hair, but I prefer it on damp hair as it rubs in and absorbs much better without making the hair feel weighed down or slightly greasy. My hair isn't particularly soft the next morning, but definitely feels nourished so I think their name of leave-in moisture is quite accurate. When I choose to do 'no heat curls' (twisting my hair into little bun danglies and pinning it (sort of like Princess Leia, but not)) and use this, I find it makes the curls much nicer and also my hair softer as it is soaking in it, as opposed to rubbing all over my pillow.

Trilogy Very Gentle Moisturising cream

This has been my night cream for a while now and one that I've really been enjoying. I mix it in with my rosehip/facial oil and the combination is really lovely and moisturising. It doesn't irritate my skin in the slightest (as the name would suggest) and I just find it to be a nice, basic moisturiser. Dry skins could even use this during the day I think.

Heroine Make Lasting Mineral BB cream in shade 2

As you know, my daily routine consists of using one of my three BB creams. Though I haven't been using this one everyday, I've been using it often and really like it. It deserves its own full review though so I won't go too in depth. I find this to be my highest coverage BB cream (light-medium but very buildable) and have the longest staying power. Seriously, this stuff controls oil and stays looking nice for the whole day. Even from 7am to 8pm I've only got an oily t-zone (which I would usually get with other products at 3 or 4pm). Awesome product!

Blush and Lip combo: Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude in 04 Nude Caramel and Tarte 12hr Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed
If I ever had a makeup habit, it would be that I match my lips and cheeks (thinking about doing a post about my fave lip-cheek combos) because using shades of completely different colour families seems weird to me - even though I haven't really tried it. Regardless, I think it looks nice to have a bit o' cohesion through the facial. My fave combo this month has been a subdued one and along the lines of nudey-pinky-mauve, though the lippy is a tad more peach. I've already done a full review on the lipstick, but one for the blush is yet to come. I do have a few gripes with the blush that I'll explain in the review, but ultimately I do really like it. Exposed gives a lovely natural nuded-rose flush to the cheeks that looks slightly sculpted.

What have been your favourites in March?

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?

Haul | HK & Vietnam

Hello all! Today I will be sharing the haulage from my trip overseas to Hong Kong and Vietnam. This is only the beauty stuff, not the fashion or other miscellaneous things. If you guys would like to see what I bought fashion wise let me know! Anyways if you remember seeing my wishlist, I got everything on it (the HK portion) and a whole lot more! 

I actually only made one trip to Sasa (it was Sasa Supreme and it was HUGE) despite the fact that there is legit one or two on every street. So lets get into the bits! First up - makeup!

I knew that I wanted to pick up another Asian BB cream while I was over there but I actually hadn't done much research at all, so I decided to wing it! There are actually SO many BB creams available and I was definitely overwhelmed with choice! I ended up buying two BB items from Heroine Make. I've heard pretty good things about the brand in general and they were very well priced. Both of them were around $10 each. I got the Mineral BB Loose Powder and the Lasting Mineral BB cream. They had testers out and I got both in the shade 2 (the darkest there). Both are quite yellow which I was happy to see. Despite how much I love my Skin79 BB cream, its grey tone can often make me look pale. I also grabbed the Heroine Make Long and Curl mascara which was on my wishlist. I probably won't open this for a while though as I try to stick to only two open mascaras at a time, they would probably dry out before I got to properly wear them! This was also around $10.

I stumbled across the Maxfactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush and was compelled to get it, haha. This shade, Soft Pink, has been raved about so much by the likes of Anna from ViviannaDoesMakeup and Amelia from Liana Beauty. I'm not sure whether this is coming to Aus anytime soon, I'm sure it will eventually, but I decided to grab it while I had the chance. This was also $10.

When I was in Sasa, the only Biore sunscreen they had was the Bright Face Milk, while I was after the normal one. I decided to pick it up, despite not knowing anything about it. The Perfect Face Milk was also sold out in a Bonjour that I popped into. With the abundance of Sasas and Bonjours around I definitely could have found it but, hey, effort. Haha, I actually ended up finding it in a Convenience store in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and picked it up there for near half the price! It was about $5 while in Hong Kong it was around $10. Still not sure what the difference between these is (the SA in Sasa wasn't much help) but I'm yet to try them and will review them accordingly!

I saw a stand for the Hada Labo Hyaluronic Toner (not exactly sure what this is called, there isn't a speck of english on there!) and decided to get it because of what I've heard and the glaring #1! on it. I also really wanted to try a cleansing oil, which are much more widely available in Asia, but again, due to my lack of research (damn you past Tasha!) I was completely unsure of which to get. I ended up getting the Hada Labo one because..it's a good brand? There was also a Maybelline and Neutrogena one but I was really taking a stab in the dark to be honest. Both of these were kind of expensive ($15 - $18) but pretty middle of the range in the store.

I grabbed the Nexcare Acne Dressings, just 'cause. Haha, they seem so intriguing! And they were only around $5.

Most of the reason I grabbed all of my stuff in one go was because of the Gift With Purchase they were offering. It really wasn't a very good gift...but hey free stuff. You had to spend 600 HKD which I did (I actually spent like, 700 HKD which is $100...sshh). The gift was a Baylis & Harding Body wash - I got the scent Wild rose and Raspberry. It's a pretty huge ass bottle and I did lug it all the way home - but no worry because we ended up being so under the limit that we managed to fit our small suitcase inside the big suitcase.

The backings of stuff - I got rid of the plastic

And! There was a MUJI! Actually a few MUJIs which I was super excited about! It has just recently opened in Melbourne but I reckon it'll take a while to get to Brisbane. I wanted to grab one little thing because I love the look of MUJI so much. I already store pretty much all my makeup in the Officeworks Keji four drawer set which I know a lot of people use, but it's getting pretty full up in there so I wanted to buy something for, I don't know, my daily makeup or something (I really just wanted something from MUJI). So I got the Narrow 2 drawer Acrylic Box with flip top lid. The flip top and normal were the same price - like $17 which is actually SO expensive but watevs (cos that's the right attitude...) lawl.

So that's what I bought! There really wasn't any beauty shopping to be done in Vietnam, Hong Kong is pretty much as good as it's gonna get. On a whole, Vietnam was actually a lot more expensive than I thought it would be and I actually didn't buy too much from there altogether. I actually think I was pretty restrained (as restrained as a beauty junkie can be) but I really didn't need any eyeshadows or lip products so I'm sorta glad I skipped on a few things I was tempted by. Let's hope I don't regret them!

Have you tried any of the products I bought? Do you like them?