Monthly Favourites // July 2018

So we are well and truly into the second half of the year...how that happened, I have no idea. I'm back at uni too (last semester!) so things are gettin' real and before you know it - I'll be graduating!! :O Exciting things happening at the end of the year though - I'm going on a trip to South Korea and Japan! Watch me spend ALL of the money on J and K-Beauty hahaha. Anyways, that's my news - onto this month's favourites because I actually have things to talk about this month!

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!

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!

In the Spotlight // Highlighters

I have another In the Spotlight post coming at you today, only this time we're literally in the spotlight as we take a look at my highlighter collection! It's about to get LOUIS LITT up in here! I've been meaning to do this post for a while and I think I'm pretty happy with my current collection. The Anastasia Beverly Hills x Nicole Glow Kit is calling my name though... but alas, here we are at the moment! I've tried to organise them by colour family for best comparison. I'll also try to be brief but we could be in for a long one!

Monthly Favourites // January 2017

We made it fam, one out of twelve months are done and dusted...and I can't quite believe it! My January has been quite productive and sufficiently exciting, and is hopefully indicative of a good year ahead! Beauty-wise, it hasn't been too eventful but there are definitely a few things I have to talk about!

Haul // Direct From The US

When my friend Tam jetted off on her rather spontaneous trip to the US, I knew I had to get her to snag me some goodies. Even though I went on a trip to the US this year myself (and hauled quite a bit)...new things come out and my wishlist is forever growing! That being said, I actually didn't have a very long shopping list and surprisingly nothing from Sephora (shocker!). Well, I did want the Sephora Favourites highlighter set but that was sold out :( Funnily enough, this is the second time Tam has gotten me stuff from the US and the second time I've documented it! My first haul was one of my first posts on here and I'm sure you can tell my taste in makeup has grown exponentially... :P Ah what a noob I was back then. Anyways, many thanks to Tam for bringing this stuff back for me! Keep reading to see what I picked up.

Colour Families // The Berries and Burgundies

Although winter is almost gone for us Aussies, I thought I would squeeze out another colour families post featuring my favourite winter-appropriate hue - berries and burgundies! I absolutely adore these vampy purples and reds on the lips and the nails, so I have quite the collection to share with you all (plus an eyeshadow and a few blushes!). 

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!

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.

The Silent Zone

Today I have a couple of eyeshadow palettes to review that probably every single beauty blogger and vlogger owns, the Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow palettes. I don't think there is a single person who wasn't amazed by the quality of these shadows, for their very low price - and in general really. I have two palettes to review today, their eight pan in Comfort Zone and trio in Silent Treatment. 

The packaging is nothing spectacular, you get what you expect with the price you pay. It's functional, rather sturdy with no excess, unnecessary bulk. The clear lids allow the shades inside to be easily seen and they snap shut quite securely. Both palettes come with a brush and sponge tip which will probably end up in the bin. The backs of both palettes, as well as the names embossed into the shadows will help any beginners with shadow placement and in the case of the eight pan, suggestions for different looks. 

I'm sure you have all heard about the formula of these shades somewhere in your journeys through the beauty blogosphere. Pigmented, soft and smooth they are described as being, and I for one have to agree! They are extremely soft to the touch but are not crumbly at all, but are a tad powdery and have little fallout. Their metallic shades are very shiny and are certainly eye catching. Their lasting power is pretty standard (I don't find eyeshadows to really vary in wear time, as long as I have a good primer). I knew that the formula of these shadows would be good but I still seem to be impressed by them! In comparison to higher end shadows like Lorac, I find these to be slightly less smooth and buttery but still offer similar pigmentation.

In sunlight

The left side of the Comfort Zone palette is very neutral with pretty, romantic brown hues.

Browbone: A light champagne, cream shade with a frosty, almost iridescent finish.

Eyelid: A light bronzed-pink shade that almost takes on a bit of a rose gold look. It has a metallic finish.

Crease: A medium bronzed-brown shade with a metallic finish.

Definer: A dark, mid-toned brown with a satin-matte finish at its base with coppery red sparkles.

In sunlight

The right side of the palette is comprised of olivey-green shades but still keeps to the neutral theme.

Browbone: An interesting shade that is more of a green toned, light grey with a frost finish.

Eyelid: An olive toned, medium green shade with a metallic finish.

Crease: A very dark, almost black, forest green which is satin-matte at its base, with golden-green sparkles.

Definer: A stunner of a shade! It is a red brown with a strong blue-green colour shift. It is mainly metallic and bears resemblance to MAC's duochrome shade in Club.

The combination of shades in Comfort Zone is certainly lovely. You can stay neutral and light, or go quite deep and smokey as well as incorporating a bit of colour into the look, whilst staying neutral. My one issue with the shades is that they are all some form of metallic or frost which can be quite overwhelming on the eye. Unless I'm doing a single shadow look, I find it hard to stick to the palette as I simply need some matte shades to break up the shimmer. I've taken photos of the swatches in sunlight so you can see just how shimmery they are.

In sunlight

Silent Treatment is a trio of shades that are slightly cooler leaning towards the taupe-y side of neutral.

Browbone: A light icy pink shade with a silver frost finish.

Crease: A dark, cool brown that is almost black. It has a satin-matte finish at its base and golden sparkles scattered throughout. A similar finish to the left Definer and right Crease shades from Comfort Zone.

Eyelid: A taupe-y mushroom grey shade with slight purple tones. It has a metallic finish.

A very versatile palette indeed as within just these three shades you can have a very light eye look or a deep smokey one. Though I prefer warm eyeshadow shades, I cannot deny how pretty these ones are!

I do think I would look into getting a few more shades sometime in the future, but for the meantime these ones are serving me well! I agree with everyone else that these are certainly amazing for their price!