Colour Families // The Millennial Pinks

Whelp it's been about a year since my last colour families post which makes me sad because I love doing these! There's something about seeing a bunch of the same coloured makeup products together that makes me happy - which is probably why I love doing monochromatic looks so much! While I fully intend on keeping this series going - who knows how long it will be until my next one haha! Today though, we're diving into the millennial pinks aka THE colour of the moment! I've become absolutely obsessed with this shade in fashion and homewares, and naturally that obsession has bled into my makeup! It's kind of hard to find makeup items that are the perfect shade of ~millennial pink~ as it's such a pale colour and pinks in general can look so different on different skintones. So - most of these might be more of a "blushed pink nude", but I'm still super into them and they complement each other well!

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!

Monthly Favourites // June 2017

I can't quite believe June is over and I'm writing another monthly favourites! I feel like I'm always doing these because I've been posting less frequently and quite sporadically (which I do apologise for! Y'know though, life gets in the way!), but I try to always do a monthly faves post! ...Which results in every third or fourth post being a favourites haha oops! I'm hoping to get back into the swing of blogging now that I'm on uni holidays - but tomorrow I fly off to Melbourne for a week so I probably won't post then :P . Bear with me! I'll be going skiing this weekend which I'm both excited and nervous for - I've only skied once before and I was a wreck, so here's hoping this time goes a bit better! As for the rest of my time in Melbourne, I'm not sure what I'll be doing actually! Still need to plan some stuff out but I'm open to any recommendations any Melbournians have! Anyway, let's dive into the favourites!

Bridal + Bridesmaid Makeup

A couple of months ago, my sister got married and I had the honour of doing her makeup! When my sister first suggested that I do her makeup, I was very hesitant...Me?! Doing your makeup on the day that you'll forever look back on!? But what if I screw it up! I'd like to think I'm pretty good at makeup on myself, and on other people, but hey, I ain't no makeup artist. That being said, I have done both of my sisters' makeup numerous times in the past, and they both seem to really like the finished results. So, the more I thought about it, the more I warmed to the idea. Why spend hundreds of dollars on a makeup artist when I can do it for free? I mean, we all know I have all the products and the fact that I could do a bunch of trial tests on her was appealing to the both of us - and trust me, we did a bunch of trials (she's fussy!). Eventually though, we settled on this look which thankfully, she really liked and was super happy with. I also had to do mine, my other sister's bridesmaid makeup and my mum's so to say I was a bit rushed the morning of is probably an understatement, but luckily everything turned out amazingly!

Collective Haul // May 2017

Technically, this is my first haul this year - and I'm pretty proud of that fact! I really haven't bought too many new beauty products this year, but I happened to go ham in the last month! To be fair, May was my birthday month so I was spoilt and got a few gifts, had some loyalty club bday perks and just plain felt spendy! Let's dive in because there's a fair bit to get through!

Monthly Favourites // July 2016

Back at it with the monthly faves! Monthly favourites posts have been the staple of my blog - I think I've only missed one month in all of the almost four years I've been blogging! This month and last month have been a weeeee bit stagnant though. It's mainly because I haven't been buying new products (pat on the back for me) and have been using the same products for the past few months! I have been trying to change things up and "shop my stash" but I can't help that I'm a creature of habit! I did manage to scrounge up a few products with only a couple repeat faves so lets get into it! Though, perhaps next month there won't be a monthly faves - we'll see!

Tarte Amazonian Clay Blushes

Oh, the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blushes - what a throwback! These blushes have been a cult fave in the beauty community for years and were hyped up especially a few years ago, though that hype has seemingly died down. I've had Exposed for a good couple of years, and last year I added Captivating to my collection in a Sephora order. I've been meaning to write up a post about it for a while now, but kept forgetting! Well, here I am! I have already done a review post on Exposed, but in my opinion, the formulas between the two shades I have differ, so I thought it would be worth writing about (and sharing some swatches!).

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...

A Cheeky Sephora Haul

So apparently this month on my blog has just been an inundation of hauls. SOZ NOT SOZ. But we all love a good haul ayyyy? Let's hope this one will be the last for a while (I s2g I always say that and it never pans out). Today's post is a VERY cheeky Sephora Au haul - both literally and figuratively as I wasn't planning on making an order on the newly launched online store, but I did, and it happens to be all cheek products (y'all know my weakness)! I was actually planning on making an order at some point but it was accelerated by the fact that Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop was FINALLY launched! I managed to snag it before they even announced it and it was only $58 haha (thanks to Katina!) and figured I would pick up a couple of other things I wanted, not that I needed them because there's free shipping over $55! I ordered on Thursday the 12th and it arrived Friday the 20th. Not completely impressed seeing as some people who ordered the same day got theirs on Monday! Also I weirdly never got a confirmation email for either my order or that it was shipped... I don't wanna get into a rant lol but I find it quite sus that Sephora had to buy over Luxola in order to launch an online store. I'm not 100% a fan of Sephora au considering the issues they've had in launching, poor stock in their stores etc, but I ain't gonna turn down getting previously hard to get brands, am I now. :P

TAG // Addicted to Blush

If there's one thing you probably know about me, it's that I love me some blush. Being (probably) my favourite item of makeup, I've amassed quite the collection! The only thing from stopping me buying up a storm, is that my drawer is pretty much full to the point where I can't close it...(lol jks, that ain't stopping me). It's only fitting, of course, that I do the Addicted to Blush tag created by Kat! Thank you to the lovelies Lena and Jennifer for tagging me, and keep reading for my answers!

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?

The Beauty Scenario Tag

I was tagged by the amazingly awesome Sheri to do the Beauty Scenario tag! This tag was created by one of my favourite youtubers, Lily Pebbles, and basically asks you what you would do in a number of beauty related scenarios! Let's dive in!

1. You have to get rid of all your foundations and only keep one high end and one drugstore. Which do you keep?

I don't own too many foundations, and only one or two that actually suit my skintone at the moment, so both of these sort of 'won' by default - though I do love both of them! For drugstore, I would keep the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid makeup in the shade Natural Beige. Firstly, it's really hard to get here in Australia, so I would definitely want to keep it. I do really love its medium coverage, dewy/satin finish and the shade is spot on for me. I actually only own one high-end foundation being the Arbonne Perfecting Liquid Foundation* in shade Honey Beige. I do really like this foundation, it has good medium if not slightly more coverage and a nice satin finish that lasts really well on the skin.

2. You go to an interview and the lady interviewing you has lipstick on her teeth. Do you approach the subject or ignore it completely?

I would definitely ignore it completely for a number of reasons. Firstly, wouldn't it be awkward telling a complete stranger they have lipstick on their teeth in general, let alone an interview situation? Like "oh, I'm gonna have to interrupt you, you have lipstick on your teeth", I think it would be quite embarrassing for them and just plain awkies. I'd tell a friend any day but in this case, nup.

3. You're not feeling yourself and you need a pick me up lipstick. Which do you go for?

I would definitely go for a bold lipstick shade. I actually think that my lips are one of my best features, my eyes and eyelashes are not great, and I really don't have great bone structure, so I actually do feel pretty good when I put on a nice, bold lipstick to draw attention to my lips. I particularly love matte shades as I know they'll be longer lasting, and less likely to transfer onto my teeth/move around! I really like my corals/oranges and deep berry, plums. Just a couple of my faves are the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Audacious and the Wet n Wild Megalast Lip Colour in the shade Sugar Plum Fairy.

4. You go back in time for a day to your teenage years; how would you do your hair and makeup differently? 

Weeeeell considering I'm still in my teenage years, I wasn't sure how to answer this. I think I was pretty lucky because I only started wearing makeup after I got into beauty Youtube channels and blogs, so I did have a basic knowledge of dos and don'ts, and I don't think I looked terrible? Hopefully? I will say that I was a stinge and didn't buy a whole lot of the essentials. I used to fill in my eyebrows with black eyeliner...Eek! But the eyeliner was pretty crappy - not very pigmented or creamy, and I brushed the heck out of them with a spoolie, so I didn't have crazy black eyebrows at least! I would go back and just be like, buy an eyebrow pencil or kit bro, just do it. Oh I used to also wear the original Garnier BB Cream which was quite orange, sheer and made me quite oily. I would stop that right in its tracks!

5. You ask your hairdresser for a shoulder length Pixie Lott cut, but they hear you wrong and give you a pixie hair cut. Do you a) Smile, say thank you, leave and call your Mum crying hysterically, b) Cry in the chair and things get awkward or c) Complain to the Manager and demand a refund? 

Now, realistically, I would hopefully notice them getting too short and stop them, but I'll go with the hypothetical. I think I would be a combination of a few of the options. Considering my hair is pretty long, and they cut basically all of it off, I'd like to think that I'd be like, "What?! Umm, I asked for a shoulder length hair cut, not a Pixie cut!", and hopefully the hairdresser would react and give me a refund. I probably wouldn't get all up in their grill and demand a refund but bish cut off all my hair, I would be pissed! Knowing me though, I'd probably chicken out and go for option a, but I don't think I'd be crying hysterically. I am super shy and literally suck at asking for things. My mum would probably then come out and demand a refund lol, that's just who she is.

6. Your friend surprises you with a 4 day city break and you have 1 hour to pack. Which 'do it all' palette do you pack in your makeup bag?

I would definitely grab the theBalm Balm Jovi palette. It literally has every colour product in it - an amazing range of eye shadow shades and finishes, a highlighter, blush and two lip colours that you could also use on your cheeks. Also, it's super thin and travel friendly!

7. Your house has been robbed (don't worry, everyone is safe) and your beauty stash has been raided. What's the product your really hope is safe?

Basically anything that's remotely expensive or limited edition, because I probably couldn't afford to repurchase right away, or it's no longer available! I have a couple of products that I'd really, really hope were safe; the Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed because these are still really hard to get here in Australia, and my friend got it for me all the way over in New York, and the Estee Lauder Signature Lipstick in Venetian Rose because I love the colour (it's the perfect nude-y peach) and it's a discontinued shade.

8. Your friend borrows your makeup and returns it in awful condition. Do you a) Just pretend you haven't noticed, b) Ask them to repurchase it or c) Secretly do the same to something of theirs?

Well certainly not c, because that's just plain rude. I would only really lend my makeup to close friends, and people I would trust with it. Also, I think that hopefully they would notice if they'd completely wrecked my product and offer to replace it anyways. Besides, they're my friend, and I think we would be on good enough terms that I could just ask them to repurchase it for me, if it was really ruined. 

That was a pretty fun and interesting tag to do, thanks Sheri for tagging me. I tag Vanessa, Jen, Nhi, Yige and Monica & Linny if you guys haven't already done it, and anyone else who would like to!

*Product was sent for consideration.

Exposé

Hey guys! Today I have a review on a product I've been dying to get my grubby little hands on for the longest time! It is the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush in the shade Exposed. These blushes have been raved about by basically every beauty blogger who has tried them, and Exposed is definitely one of their most notable and popular shades. Tarte is slowly becoming more easily accessible with Sephora planning to ship internationally (I think, not sure what the news is there) but previously the brand was extremely hard to get a hold of. Luckily for me - my amazeballs friend Yas picked up the blush for me during her time in New York!

Swatched, blended

L-R: Tarte Exposed (swatched more heavily), Essence Natural Beauty, Face of Australia Nutmeg, Napoleon Perdis Instyle Cream blush

I absolutely adore the packaging of this blush and I think it's very cute! It's all cased up in a thin, non-bulky 

compact whose exterior is the same colour as the blush inside. It comes with a mirror on the inside and a secure snap closure. The blush pan has a pretty pattern embossed in it and the top of the packaging has the logo as well as a cute vine-thang. 

On the website, it's described as being a 'supremely soft blush' which I don't find to be the case at all. The first thing that struck me about this blush is that it's very hard. The powder itself is stiff and not at all like some other blush formulas that are soft and can often kick up powder. I find its hard formula makes it a little hard to get colour from the blush, or transfer product easily say on a brush or even on your finger - quite a lot of pressure is required. I find the best way to apply this blush is with the Real Techniques Stippling Brush as recommended by Estée. The Stippling Brush's bristles are quite hard and therefore sort of 'dig in' to the powder gleaning more product and colour from it. With that brush, a quick swirl and tap is all I need. I hear a lot of people say these blushes are very pigmented, but personally I don't find that to be exactly the case. Coupled with the hard formula, I find the pigmentation to be good - one of those not too pigmented, not too sheer type blushes. Possibly with a brighter colour, the blush could be more obviously pigmented. Onto the main claim that's in the name (points for rhyming!), I found it's lasting power to be average - definitely not 12 hours by any means. When it comes to blush, it's one of the first things to fade off of my face and this one was no exception. I also think it's down to the rather 'nude' shade but it only lasted maybe, 8 hours tops. 

Exposed has a matte finish and is a rosy brown shade - the kind that goes with basically everything. It also can be slightly sculpting depending on how it's applied. It's a very natural shade, almost like a My Cheeks But Better where it looks natural and muted, but still brightens and gives a lovely flush of life to the face. Compared to other 'nothing-y' blushes in my collection, it's a lot more reddy-pink and I find on me, when applied too heavily it can start to look ruddy, and like natural redness in my skin, so it's best applied lightly to complement the rest of my makeup.I also find that since it is more 'nuded' but with a pink lean, I can only wear it with some base products. I can't wear it with any foundation that has a pink or even neutral tone to it as the pink in the blush really pulls out the pink in the base and makes my whole face look pink (wow, so much pink) and it's really not a good look on my very yellow complexion.

Overall, I am a fan of the blush and have been getting some really good use out of it, however because they have been raved about like none other, I guess I was left a little disappointed with it's not-so-superior lasting power and pigmentation. It also doesn't help that I (personally) can only wear it with certain base products! I do thoroughly enjoy the blush though, and when the time comes, would love to pick up some more!

Have you tried the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blushes?

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?

Collective Haul // January 2014

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

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

Essie Marshmallow 

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

Sportsgirl Pink and Space Jam

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

Ulta3 Stop the Press

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

Skincare stuff...

Trilogy Rosapene Day & Night Collection (Limited Edition)

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

Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser

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

Sanctuary Spa Radiance Exfoliator

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

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo

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

On to the makeup!

Stila Under the Mistletoe palette

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

Maybelline Fit Me concealer in shade Medium

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

Benefit Go Tropi-coral Lip and Cheek kit

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

NYX Powder Blush in Terra Cotta

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

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12hr blush in Exposed

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

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Shimmering Sand

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

Illamasqua Concealer in CC 325

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

Face of Australia Glossy Lip Crayon in Berry Brulee

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

Revlon Living Lipstick in Blase Apricot

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

Clarins Rouge Hydra Nude in Nude Caramel

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

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Antwerp

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

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

Non-beauty stuff!

Kikki.K Fun for Everyday set

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

Kikki.K Celebrate Today Iphone Case

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

Dusk Tropical Summer Mood Reed and Candle set

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

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