Collective Haul // November 2017

The last haul (hurrah!) of the year! November was FILLED with sales - almost too many sales for that matter. Was it just me, or were black friday and cyber monday absolutely crazy this year? It felt like every single shop and online store was having a sale, it was quite frankly overwhelming! Buuut that didn't stop me from doing some damage haha. My bank account definitely took a battering and yet I still haven't even finished my Christmas shopping. Oops. Onto the haul!

Monthly Favourites // March 2016

It's that time again, and as always - it's here way too quick! March has been mostly me getting back into the daily struggle routine of Uni lyfe. MUCH EXCITE THO - we adopted a puppy! My dad has been looking for a dog for a while and visited the pound over the weekend and found one! She is a four month old Kelpie x Cattle dog and we've named her Peppa :P She will be making her Instagram debut soon (to make an account for her though, or nah?) (EDIT: I made her an account! @peppathekelpie) I'm sure! She is quite chill and well behaved, and not too jumpy or aggressive which is great - she's settling in really well! Anyway, back to the makeups - I have quite a few faves and almost all of them are from my USA haul (see here and here), as I predicted! Let's jump in!

The USA Haul // Drugstore

'Ello, 'Ello! It's been a while hasn't it?! Well, I'm back from my three week trip to the US and of course, I return with a WHOPPER of a haul! Like my wishlist posts, I'm splitting it into a (somewhat) more manageable two parts; drugstore and high end! I guess it's also a good way to compare to my wishlist what I bought and what I didn't. Some items I skipped because I figured it would be easier to buy online (a. wouldn't have to lug it back, b. I didn't have much cash haha :P), and others, once I saw in the flesh, I decided against! I actually stuck pretty well to my list, and overall am super happy with my purchases! With regards to my actual trip...I had an amazing time! You can check out my Instagram for a snippet of my adventures, but I will sure be uploading some photos and travel posts on here! Anyway, let's get into the loot!

Sigma; Summed Up

Today I have another brand spotlight post for you all, but with a witty-ass title ;) The brand in question is Sigma and the nerdy side of me wanted to incorporate some maths (sigma in maths means the sum of .... whatever you want really). Anyway, if you got it from the get go, ILY but also I don't miss maths at all - BITCH BYE. A little while ago I was accepted into the Sigma Affiliate program which was suuuper exciting for me, and they very generously sent over a welcome pack with a range of amazing goodies! This is my first experience with Sigma and I must say, I'm impressed!

A Treat Yo' Self Haul

(Relatively) long time no haul! My last haul was in July so my li'l "spending ban" lasted around two months. Solid, solid...though not really. Even if I wasn't on a "spending ban" (imagine me doing air bunnies quotation marks right now), I didn't really have very much disposable income becauseeeee...I lost ma job :( I dun wanna talk about it but basically they stopped giving me shifts because I was too old and expensive. Gotta love life ayy. ANYWAYS, I got a new job last month and I promised myself I'd TREAT MA SELF when my first paycheck rolled in. Wut wuuuut so here we are. Majority of this stuff is high end cos GAL I WAS FEELIN' SPENDY. (BTW background is also a purchase: an amazing canvas from Kmart of course.)

In the Spotlight // Crop's Cosmetics

Crop Natural Skincare* is a relatively new brand that came out with a small range of skincare a little while ago, and just recently launched their makeup line! Crop is a natural brand with no nasties like parabens, mineral oil, petrochemicals, etc. It's suitable for sensitive skin and doesn't test on animals! The whole ethos behind the brand is very admirable and you can read more about it on their website! I was very generously sent almost the whole range of makeup (thank you so much Crop!) and have been testing them out for the past few weeks. Before I get into the reviews, I do want to mention the packaging! It's lovely and minimal and looks quite classy - I'm into it. Oh and, unfortunately I couldn't really test the liquid foundation or brow pencil as they are the wrong shades for me! I will try and keep this post concise and I've split the products up into recommendations, 'eh' products and ones that I wouldn't recommend, so keep reading for my thoughts!

Rose Golden Luxury

After lusting after the Zoeva Rose Golden Luxury Set for a looooong time, and then painstakingly waiting for them to be shipped over (damn you Luxola!), I finally have them in my possession (thank you to my lovely frands for bday gifting them to me!)! I've been using them pretty consistently since I got them a few weeks ago and many have quickly made it into my daily routine! I will say a few of these brushes have quite similar Real Techniques counterparts but Lena did an excellent review and comparison post including those!

Born Pretty Store // Haul & Review

Perhaps I should call this the "haul of dupes" because that's very much what it's looking like! A little while ago, Born Pretty Store offered to send me a few things of my choosing and I jumped at the chance as I've seen products from them over the net for the past couple of years. I remember in my early days of nail polish and nail art obsession really wanting to purchase a stamping set from them, but I never got around to it! Probably for the better since I'm not really interested in that stuff as much anymore, heh! If you're not familiar with them, Born Pretty is basically a super cheap online store based in Asia which stocks a bunch of beauty products, as well as a pretty random assorment of other stuff too! They also offer free worldwide shipping which is pretty fab! Naturally, I gravitated towards the dupe-y products, because I'm a sucker for a good dupe!

The Travelling Trio

Hello all! Today I have a brush review for you guys - a trio from Real Techniques. Seriously though, pretty much my whole brush collection is comprised of Real Techniques so I basically feel the need to collect all of their brushes - what's new? This is their Travel Essentials set containing the Multi-task, Essential Foundation and Domed Shadow brushes, also including a brush case. As I've already mentioned in previous Real Techniques reviews, they are made from synthetic taklon bristles, making them appropriate for all forms of makeup.

First up is the brush I practically bought the whole set for, the Multi-task brush. I've already spoken about how much I like it here, but to recap and expand, the Multi-task brush is basically the lovechild of the Blush and Buffing brushes. It is shorter and more paddle shaped than the Blush brush, and is a bit more dense, but still has the fluffiness and slight tapered sides that allow it to blend products excellently. I find this brush perfect for patting on face powder, as well as applying blush - powder or cream, but more of the sheer variety as it is still quite dense. In the cheek area, it's pretty perfect in the way of its size and shape. Like the name suggests though, this is pretty much awesome for any powder product, and some creams!

Blush brush, Multi-task brush

I was not too excited for the Essential Foundation brush as these traditional, paint brush style brushes are definitely not my favourite to apply foundation. It is however much better than the Pointed Foundation brush from the Core Collection. It is much bigger (about double the width), denser and stiffer making it much more effective in application however it does still leave some streaks which need to be patted and blended away. I also find these styles of brushes only really work well with liquid foundations. I do however use it occasionally to blend in concealer, or apply cream highlighter. 

Essential foundation brush, Pointed foundation brush

The Domed Shadow brush is basically what I like to call a fat shader brush. It is the same paddle shape but much thicker and denser with a slight domed top. Where I've said the Deluxe Crease brush is like a mini version of the Buffing brush, the Domed Shadow brush is like a mini version of the Expert Face brush. It works well for applying and blending both cream and powder eyeshadows. I also really like it for concealer (which I use the Deluxe Crease brush for) and it blends the product very well. These two brushes pretty much perform in the same way, but different methods are used when using them. The Domed is more of a swiping and blending with the side or top, and the Deluxe is more of a circular buffing motion.

Domed Shadow brush, Deluxe crease brush

Overall, I really love this set and I think you probably could travel with just these three brushes (though I'd need a brow brush)! I've definitely found a new favourite in the Multi-task brush, and if you're a Real Techniques collector, I think you should definitely check out this set! I purchase these brushes from iHerb and by using the code TKZ374 you can get a discount off of your first purchase!

Have you tried the Travel Essentials?

Brush Up | Cheeks

Hi guys! Today I have the last of my Real Techniques brush reviews (for now!)! I have the Blush Brush and the Stippling Brush. Both of these are sold individually as opposed to in sets. These two are probably my favourites along with the Buffing Brush!

As with all of the Real Techniques brushes, they have coloured aluminium handles with names and a rubberised base. They are lightweight and sturdy. These handles are pink which are colour coded to the 'finish' range, used to add finishing touches to a makeup look. The brushes sold individually have fatter bases. The function of this is so that the brushes can stand up. Personally, I store my brushes in a cup so this is actually a hindrance as they take up quite a bit of room in the cup. It would be helpful for those who don't store them that way, but not all the brushes have that base (eg. individual eye brushes) and I find that since the handle is already quite thick it still stands (eg. Buffing Brush).

On to the brushes though! As always with Real Techniques, they are made of super soft, synthetic Taklon bristles which allows them to work with all sorts of textures. 

The Stippling Brush is different to a lot of other similar, duo-fibre stippling brushes. Typically the white to black hair ratio is one to one, whereas on this one the white hairs are much shorter. I have not tried any other stippling brush so I can't compare, but my thoughts are that the other variations look quite floppy. The Real Techniques version is a lot stiffer, the bristles themselves are soft, but it doesn't have a fluffy soft effect on the skin. This and the different density of the bristles make it very effective with cream products, like cream blush. It's also great at applying powder blush (especially more pigmented ones) as well with foundation products - liquid and cream. It gives a lovely, very light application of product.

The Blush Brush is probably one of their best selling brushes and definitely my favourite. I use it every time I wear makeup! It is a unique shape for a blush brush. It's not domed, and the closest I would say it is in shape is to a tulip brush, though those definitely come to more of a point. The Blush Brush is a combination of the two, it's a petal shape which comes to a slight tapered dome. It isn't floppy at all either. This works really well for pretty much all powder products; face powder, blush, bronzer, etc. It's really not too big either due to the taper. I use the tip for blush and bronzer, the bristles around it blend the product simultaneously providing a super easy application! The density is nice and fluffy, and it applies both pigmented and sheer blushes/bronzers really well. I use the side for setting powder due to the larger surface area there. Amazing! And it feels like a little paw stroking your face haha - bonus!

Definitely two standouts from the collection right here! I love them both to bits, and none of the Real Techniques brushes I own have shed at all in the numerous times I've washed them. AMAZING quality for an amazing price! I've got my eye on their new face sponge, travel essentials set and the expert face brush next!

What are your favourite Real Techniques brushes?

Brush Up | Eyes

Hi guys! Today I have another Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman brush review! This time it's on the Starter Set. The starter set is comprised of five eye brushes, so let's get into the review!

I purchased this set mainly because my brush collection was severely lacking in pretty much all departments. The Starter Set holds the majority of the eye brushes that Real Techniques offers so I thought I would grab it! The handles are a light aluminium with a rubberized bottom. They are purple which goes along with all of the eye brushes in the range. Their names are clearly printed on the sides, however my Brow brush's label is rubbing off, and has been since I first got them. It's a defect I'm able to overlook and it hasn't happened with any of my other brushes!

The brushes included in this set are the deluxe crease brush, base shadow brush, accent brush, pixel point eyeliner brush and the brow brush. All Real Techniques brushes use synthetic taklon bristles which are uber soft and are able to be used with cream, liquid and powder products.

Base shadow brush, deluxe crease brush

First up is the base shadow brush. This is quite a long, thin brush that comes to a slight taper. It is also slightly fluffy at the end but is overall quite dense and stiff. I find this a really great all in one brush and one that I use quite often for a no-fuss eyeshadow look. It is dense enough to apply either powder or cream shadows all over the lid, the thin, tapered point provides great precision for the crease or outer corner and the slight fluffiness blends out shadow well.

The deluxe crease brush is almost like a mini Buffing brush with a domed top. It is circular in shape and is quite densely packed with bristles. In terms of eyeshadow, I only find this functional for blending out shadow as opposed to applying it. It feathers out the edges of eyeshadow really well but if used too vigorously it can blend the shadow away. On a day to day basis, I love using this for blending in concealer which is also what the Pixiwoo sisters frequently use it for. It blends and applies both cream and liquidy concealers really well.

Brow brush, Accent brush, Pixel point eyeliner brush

The brow brush is an angled brush which I primarily use for applying brow powder. You could also use it to line the lashline with eyeshadow. However, this brush is quite big and thick compared to typical angled eye brushes. I initially thought it would be too thick for applying brow powder however it is actually very effective especially when I'm in a rush in the morning as the size fills in the brows really quickly. It doesn't mimic the natural, thin shape of the brow hairs but it shades them quite well.

The Accent brush is a tiny and very thin brush which I find is great for highlighting the inner corner or smudging shadow on the lashlines. I don't have much to say about this one, other than it does the job really well! You could also use this guy for spot concealing.

The Pixel point eyeliner brush is probably my least favourite of the set. To me, it is not "pixel point" at all, and it fact is quite thick and almost pokey around the eyes. It's designed to apply gel liner, or shadow but I find it would be much too thick to apply liner effectively and precisely. I barely reach for it and I could only imagine it being good for a very thick line of eyeliner.

The eye brushes from Real Techniques definitely don't get as much praise as their face brushes, however I feel that the quality is just as good but some of these brushes just aren't shaped very well. The Brow brush and the pixel point eyeliner brush could be thinner and the deluxe crease brush is a bit too dense to blend eyeshadow expertly. Many of these are still incorporated into my daily routine and I thoroughly enjoy them.

What are your thoughts on the Real Techniques eye brushes?

Brush Up | Face

I'm finally getting around to writing my reviews on the Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman makeup brushes! A few months ago I picked up a quite a few of her brushes and today I'll be featuring the Core Collection. These have gotten sooo much hype and rightly so! They are really great and I had high expectations for them - after all, they were created by a very talented makeup-artist who obviously knows what she's doing!

The set contains four brushes and a case. The case is actually quite nice and a good, practical addition to my collection as I don't have anything like it. It has elastic slots to put the brushes in (and extras on the other side). The case itself is quite hardy and durable. You can also flip it in half (horizintally) and secure it with the toggle to create a brush stand. All of her brushes have colour-coded handles, orange being for the face/base makeup. The handles are aluminium with a rubberized base and feel nice and lightweight. They feature the brush name on the handle which is always handy.

The brush I was definitely most excited about from this set was the Buffing brush which is so popular. The set also contains the Contour brush, the pointed foundation brush and the detailer brush. The brushes are made with synthetic taklon bristles which are uber soft and great to use with any texture - cream, powder and liquid. I'll start out with my two favourites!

I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to love the Buffing brush. I don't believe there is a single person who has tried it who hasn't loved it. No matter how high the expectations, I knew it would surpass them, and it did. It is a round, slightly domed top brush densely packed with bristles. This guy is perfect for buffing in foundation whether it be liquid, cream or powder. There's no denying it can also be used for a plethora of other things like bronzer and blush. That is precisely what I love about these brushes; that you can use them for so many different things! Having previously only used the traditional paintbrush style foundation brush, this has completely reinvented my application of foundation! It leaves a beautiful, flawless finish with no streaks or uneven patches. It buffs the product right into the skin. It's quick, easy and pretty much fool-proof!

The contour brush is another great multi-tasker. It is a rather small, fluffy, tapered brush perfect for contouring. It fits almost exactly right under the cheekbone to give the effect that we all desire - higher cheekbones! It creates a well blended line that looks very natural and defined. On the other end of contouring, it's great for applying highlighter precisely on the tops of the cheekbones, without getting shimmer everywhere else! It can also be used to apply blush, blend in concealer and apply powder to small areas - for me, that's underneath the eyes.

The Pointed foundation brush is definitely my least used brush. It's much too small to apply foundation all over the face - it would take way too long to do so! It's quite flat and flimsy and therefore not very good at a streak-less application. I thought I might get use out of it to apply concealer under the eyes but honestly it's too much of a bother. Not a fan for sure!

The Detailer brush is a nice one to have but not amazing. It is a tiny little flat brush mainly used for applying lip product or concealer. For me (similar to the Pointed foundation brush) it's too bothersome to apply concealer. As I previously did not own a lip brush, this has filled that hole and has been getting some use! It's quite precise and applies lipsticks, etc well.

So those are my thoughts on the Core Collection! This review is probably redundant to a lot of you who already own the set or have read/seen just about a hundred reviews on these brushes - but I hope it helped someone out! I think these are AMAZING quality for the price and definitely recommend anyone and everyone to buy any of the Real Techniques brushes. My reviews for the other sets and things I bought will be up soon-ish. You can buy the set at Priceline or IHerb which I do recommend over Priceline as it sells the brushes at US RRP (less than half the price of AUS!). I also have a discount code located in the sidebar. 

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!