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!

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!

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!

The Best of 2016

Aaaaaand...we're back! I hope you guys had a relaxing break and lovely holiday period! I didn't intend to take such a long(ish) break but I ended up being super busy with work (yay retail) and spending time with family! It's about that time though for a big ol' round up of all of my favourite products of the past year! I hope y'all aren't too bored of seeing these posts! :P As always, I'm mentioning the products I loved last year, regardless of whether they're new or old! I tried not to go too overboard, but I also didn't overly limit myself. If you're a seasoned reader of mine, none of these will be a surprise (I don't think!)! Let's dive in!

Empties #12

It's empties time again, and I'm happy to say I've made it through quite a few skincare products! I'm really trying to focus on actually finishing (skincare and body) products before opening new ones, and so far it's working well. It also means I've been sticking to a consistent skincare routine which my skin is definitely thanking me for! Let's dig in, shall we?

Collective Haul // October 2016

So, it's been a hot minute since I've done a haul on here. I think the last big makeup purchase I made was the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette (which was back in May!), but my last actual haul that I did was in April. Must say, I'm pretty proud of myself for managing to stick to a spending ban - no matter how loose it was! I actually haven't been all that tempted by makeup recently actually. It's not that I've become disinterested in makeup, because trust me, I still love it! I just think I've become numb to all the HYPE! and NEWNESS!, and I also think that I've become quite content with my makeup collection. I only really consider purchasing something if I really love it, it's gotten good reviews or is somewhat unique in my collection. That being said, let's dive in!

The Daily Makeup Edit

It's been a loooong, long time since I've done any sort of "daily makeup" routine post on the blog, and seeing as I've stuck to a pretty solid routine for the past several months, I figured I should update you guys! This post will also serve somewhat as a September favourites as I haven't really been using or loving anything new, just the same old shiz! I think that will change in the coming months though as I've broken my spending ban (a pretty lax one at that) and made a Colourpop order, and I anticipate I will be buying a bunch more with the impending holiday releases! I'm pretty proud of myself though, I pretty much hadn't bought anything since the Sweet Peach Palette which was all the way back in May! Anyway, if any of y'all are OG readers, some of these products might take you waaay back into the archives! I should say, I don't necessarily wear this makeup everyday but this look is typically my go-to for work (without the eye products) or long days at uni!

Monthly Favourites // June 2016

Whelp, June went like that *snaps fingers*. Which is unfortunate because, that means I'm back to uni soon...*cries*. I'd like to think I've been making good use of my holidays so far but let's be real, I've been sleeping in till midday and marathoning TV shows. But - I did join a gym this month! What?! Who am I?! True story. Although I'm a self-professed couch potato, I did finally join after my mother's incessant nagging. My friend (ayo Yas) is a gym junkie so at least I have a gym buddy! So far it's been pretty good though - I mostly just do classes because the machines are intimidating lbr. Anyways - let's get onto da faves!

What's In My Travel Beauty Bag(s)?

So I leave tomorrow for my three week trip to the US! I feel like I've been waiting forever for this trip to come, and now that it's here, I feel so unprepared! Why must I procrastinate in every aspect of my life?? I'm pretty sure I've never shared with you guys what products I've taken travelling in the past, usually it's nothing exciting, especially makeup wise as I'm never really bothered much in that department! I figured this trip I'd put more effort into my face as I'm going to some big cities (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Denver!). I tried to pack light, especially considering I'll be buying a WHOLE LOT while I'm there, but I may have overdone it on the skincare... :P My excuse is that my skin is actually pretty good right now and I don't want to mess it up! Plus I'm gone for three weeks so I cant just switch it up for an off week, y'know? Also, ignore the weird lighting in these photos. It was raining pretty heavily today! Plus, my camera decided to start acting up and basically died. Just before my trip of course!! I had to wipe the settings and I have no idea what they were to put it back to what it was lol. Ended up being a bad connection between the lens and the body which a quick clean fixed (for now...). 

Monthly Favourites // December 2015

Happy new year everyone! How is it even possible that a whole year has past... Like wut?!??? The first half of the year felt real but then the second half just like...evaporated before my eyes then BOOM 2016. I'm here to share the final monthly favourites of the year though and since last month was ALL ABOUT DA HAULS, I have quite a few new products I've been loving! I will be doing a 2015 favourites as well though tbh I haven't even thought about what's going in it...I need to have a proper sit down with my collection and assess the goods! Anyway, let's get into it as I'm wasting the precious seconds we have left of 2015...

Haul // Priceline 40% Off Cosmetics

Another week, another haul - this time of the drugstore variety! If all goes well...I think I'll have another haul going up next week too (Sephoraaaaa hehehh). Yeeeeah I really need to get a handle on my spending. If you guys were unaware though, Priceline currently has their famous 40% off cosmetics sale on! It goes for two days and today is the last day so I thought I'd share the bits I picked up yesterday! I had a list, and I stuck to it! My savings were actually pretty great because the chick accidentally (I think it was an accident...) scanned my payback voucher twice so I got an extra $11 off haha :P Shh... It's been a while since I've hauled from Priceline though. Can't say I've been too eager to shop there since they sacked me :P Can't deny a good sale though and I picked up a few things I've been wanting to try for ages!

Monthly Favourites // July 2014

It's July favourites time! This month went SO fast, legit. My first couple of weeks back at school were not cruisy, I was bombarded with assignments and due dates which made it feel like I never had a holiday at all!  I try to make time for commenting on and reading blog posts though it can be hard! I had a major writing sesh in the hols though, so most of this months posts, and for the next couple of months are all pre-written/scheduled posts. Anyways I have a few products that I've been really enjoying this month, that I wanted to share with y'all.

Antipodes Vanilla Pod Hydrating Day Cream

What with it being Winter and all, my skin has definitely gotten a bit drier, meaning I can get away with using a richer moisturiser during the day. This one is sooooo lovely and smells DIVINE (you were right Vanessa). While it's rich and uber nourishing, it doesn't feel heavy, absorbs well and doesn't make me any oilier throughout the day, even under makeup. I can even use it at night with rosehip oil, but I've been loving a different mosituriser for that...

Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream

(amazing segue right?) This night cream has been amaze for my drier Winter skin. It's so lovely and really quite a dense cream, though absorbs pretty well into the skin. I use it in conjuction with the Trilogy Antioxidant + Rosehip Oil which I mentioned in my last faves, and my skin has just been drinking it up. It feels uber soft and nourished. Love.

Coconut Revolution Coconut Lip Balm in Cherry

This is a sweet little lip balm that smells and looks like Willy Wonka Redskins - yerm. Doesn't really remind me of Cherry at all, which is a good thing cos I ain't a fan of that medicinal cherry scent/flavour. It is slightly tinted, and the colour is buildable (though still sheer, obvs). I find this is really nourishing, and I've really been liking the sheer wash of colour it gives, and the easy tube format. 

Bourjois Happy Light Foundation in shade 52 Light Beige

I've been wearing my Rimmel Matte BB Cream most days which I talked about in my last favourites, but for weekends or days/nights when I'm going out, I've been no doubt reaching for this foundation.I will definitely have a review up at some point, but to round things up; light-medium coverage, satin finish - not too dewy or matte, very natural - and really good lasting power, surprisingly! Love the packaging too.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Original

This is a little sample sachet I got with my Naked 3 palette. Despite the rave reviews, hype and talk of this being the original and best eyeshadow primer, I actually didn't have overwhelmingly high hopes for it. I guess a few slightly negative reviews tipped the scales for me. I do really like it though, and have been using it everyday I wear eyeshadow! It works really well, my shadows only have minimal creasing by the end of the day and show up lovely and vibrant!

Jordana Fabuliner in Black

I haven't been wearing this heaps this month, my eyeliner wearing is rather sporadic, but I did a couple of times this month and really enjoyed it. It's a felt tip liquid liner, super black and although the tip is a bit thick, it still comes to a fine point, allowing thick and thin lines. I really like the lasting power of this too - it doesn't smudge, smear or fade throughout the day.

Max factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink

As I said, my skin has been a bit drier and I have a few dry patches on my cheeks (the acne isn't helping those at all either), so I've been opting for a cream blush as I find it just sits much nicer over dry skin. The finish is creamy and dewy, and I love this shade.

PS. Shiwashiful. reached a milestone of 300 followers this week! Thanks so much guiz! :')

(Hopefully noone's unfollowed me by the time this post goes up haha...)

Matchy Matchy

There's something about colour coordination that I love, in moderation though. Matching accessories, clothes and especially makeup! Once I started wearing coordinating lip and cheek combinations, there was no going back. It's almost OCD how much I need the lip and cheek shades to be at least in the same colour family - it's even better if my nails match too ;) These are just a few of my favourite lip and cheek combinations, where in some cases, it's like each product was made for one another! Just so I don't keep repeating myself down the way, all of the combos compliment each other so well, and really bring a look together!

L-R: Maxfactor Soft Pink, NYX Peaches and Cream, theBalm Toile, NYX Antwerp

Maxfactor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush in Soft Pink and NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream

These two products are basically as pink as I'm willing to go on any sort of a regular basis. They're both that really pretty medium pink with quite warm undertones - an almost peachy pull. I love the formulas of both of these, and the combination has a really brightening, fresh-faced effect.

theBalm Instain Blush in Toile and NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp

There is something about this particular shade that is rather unique in my collection. Different to my typical peachy-pinks, they have a deeper, more reddish quality that almost gives them a strawberry type tinge. While the lip is more of a bold option, I feel like the blush perfectly accents it.

L-R: Tarte Exposed, Clarins Nude Caramel, Essence Natural Beauty

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12hr Blush in Exposed or Essence Silky Touch Blush in Natural Beauty and Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude in Nude Caramel

This is the somewhat "my lips and cheeks but better" option - neutral and natural but not too nude. I've professed my love for the Tarte and Clarins combo already here, but I thought I would throw in another option, which actually looks to be better suited. Natural Beauty is a bit more of a peachy-brown-mauve with a sheen that gives a lovely glow to the cheeks. Either of these is perfect when I want more of a 'nothing-y' cheek and lip!

L-R: Estee Lauder Fresh Plum, Soft Amethyst

Estee Lauder Tender Blusher in Fresh Plum and Signature Lipstick in Soft Amethyst
Want a fresh Autumnal duo? These are your guys. Sadly they're both discontinued - oops. Sorry! I really wish they weren't though because together they are perfect for getting the cooler, more purply-plum tones for A/W without going super dark and vampy. The blush really is pretty much the perfect accompaniment for any purple/plum/cool lip colour. 

L-R: BYS Leftmost shade, MAC Morange, Revlon Audacious, BYS Rightmost shade, Maybelline Vibrant Mandarin

BYS Blush Trio in Coral Me In (leftmost shade) and MAC Amplified lipstick in Morange

I thought I wouldn't get much wear out of the leftmost shade in this BYS trio because it is pretty much a straight up orangey-peach, but quite contrarily, depending how light-handed you are, it goes hand-in-hand with bold shades like Morange. You might think it's orange overload, but actually with a more subtle cheek it really pulls together the look.

BYS Blush Trio in Coral Me In (rightmost shade) and Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious or Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in Vibrant Mandarin

Gee, I have a thing for corals. The blush shade is a really great coral that has the perfect mix of pink, orange and red, making a great shade to go with basically any coral. I think colour-wise it best matches Audacious, but really it looks amazing with either lippy! Again with a bold lip (and the cray pigmentation of this trio), a light hand is advised!

I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and perhaps took some ideas or inspiration from it! I have many more combos that I could have mentioned (like the abundance of peachy-pink blushes and lip colours), but I thought these were the most notable from my stash!

What are your favourite lip and cheek combinations? Do you like to go matchy-matchy?

Plushie Pink

Max Factor is not a brand I have a lot of experience with. The product I'm reviewing today is actually my first makeup product from them. I'm fairly certain that Max Factor and Covergirl are owned by the same company (I think I heard that from Fleur de Force) and considering Max Factor is quite a bit more expensive, I never really gave them much of a look. Though their Miracle Touch Creamy Blush is a product unique to their line and one that has been raved about by many a beauty blogger. I don't believe it's available in Australia yet (I've never encountered it in store and it's not on their website) so when I saw it in Sasa, I snatched it up.

Swatched, Blended

I have the shade Soft Pink which is a medium pink shade with warm rose-y tones. I find this to be a very wearable, natural looking pink that brightens the face and gives it a youthful looking flush. It also looks lovely on the lips!

The texture of this cream blush is really nice. It's creamy and emollient without being too slippy or thin. The finish stays creamy, it ain't one of those cream-to-powder formulas. It isn't overly dewy on the skin though, it has more of a satin, semi matte finish to the skin which I think helps it not melt immediately off of the face. It still gives a natural, skin-like glow. However, it still isn't the longest lasting of blushes. Typically on my combination skin, I find that cream blushes only last for around four hours and this one is no exception. It does have one of the better lasting powers though. The pigmentation is also really good and doesn't require too much building. It blends easily into the skin and I like applying it with my Real Techniques Stippling Brush though fingers are also good. It does have a bit of a lipstick-y smell to it which makes me think it probably has similar ingredients to a lipstick. Regardless, it still works very well as both a blush and a lipstick, only slightly clinging to dry patches on the lips. This is though, probably one of the best cream blush formulas I've tried as it's has the best of almost all the factors.

The blush is packaged in a really tiny circular pan with a screw top lid. I like that there isn't any unnecessary bulk to the packaging but what does annoy me is that the amount of product inside isn't listed! The size could be incredibly deceiving, or it could contain just as small as an amount that it looks.

Have you tried the Max Factor Miracle Touch Creamy Blush? What's your favourite cream blush?

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?