Formalities

As you may have seen from my Instagram, this past Saturday was my grade 12 Formal! Exciting times really. I had a really fun night, and even though my feet were killing me, I made sure to have a ball jigging it on the d-floor. It was also quite emotional and overwhelming as this is an event I've been looking forward to for years, and of course another reminder that my schooling life will be over very soon! A few of you guys asked to see some snaps from the day, so here they are!

I got my makeup done at Mecca Cosmetica. I was originally going to do it myself however I realised that the products I wanted to buy would've cost more than getting it done, so I decided to go down the Mecca route as they have literally every product I would've wanted to be used! I had a very specific look in mind (it was actually one of the MSFW looks a Mecca makeup artist created that I spotted in an email from them) and luckily the lovely gal who did my makeup did it exactly how I wanted (shoutout to Courteney, even though she doesn't know about this blog lol)! She took her time and I didn't feel intimidated to ask for certain products at all, I'm so happy with how it came out!

Products used (from what I can recall):

Face:
NARS Pro-Prime Pore-Refining Primer
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Punjab
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Ginger

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder
NARS Contour Blush Duo in Paloma
NARS Laguna Bronzer
NARS Orgasm Blush
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow (as a highlight)

Eyes:
Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Dark Brunette
NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base
Stila Kitten Eyeshadow
Stila Magnificent Metals Foil Finish Eyeshadow in Kitten (mixed with Stila Stay All Day liquid eye primer)
Kevyn Aucoin Eye Pencil Primatif in Black
Chantecaille Mascara (not sure which one)
Ardell Short Flare Black Individual lashes and Lash Grip (applied myself)

Lips:
NARS Satin Lip Pencil in Lodhi 

I'm really happy with the products she picked out - she pretty much read my mind in regards to what I've been wanting to try! Though I did request a couple of things like the lip colour and foundation, and the eye look obviously. Seriously though, I love the way it came out. The wing is defining and accentuating without being too overbearing or dramatic, the glitter is super pretty yet not too garish, and the lip matched my clutch, and although it was quite bold, it didn't clash with the eyes. Also loved how flawless my skin looked yet it wasn't cakey or too matte and felt super light. The whole look lasted really well through the night, I only touched up my lips a couple of times, mostly because I wanted to be fancy and touch up my lipstick. My cheek products hardly faded and my mascara/eyeliner didn't smudge at all! It cost $90 with the full amount redeemable on products. My haulage will be coming up in a post very soon ;)

I did my own hair, and am super happy with how it came out - even though I was a little rushed. I was going for the "faux undercut/side shave look", inspired by Natalie Dormer and Sophie Turner at SDCC this year haha, here are the babes. Since my dress is quite delicate/pretty, I wanted to add a bit of edginess in the hair/makeup/accessories. I had a deep side part and my mum did a tight french braid down the side. I swooped my hair to the other side and used a 1 1/4 inch curling iron/barrel (thanks for the loan Tam!) to put in some loose curls/defined waves. I used the Kerastase Ciment Thermique as a heat protectant and it left my hair feeling super soft! Definitely a fan. I also used the Matrix Design Pulse Hair Lock Extra Strong Hold Hairspray which worked quite well. It did leave hair feeling a wee bit hard feeling if you sprayed too much - but not so bad considering it's Extra Strong! They held really well through the night full of dancing!

Dress: ASOS (available here)
Shoes: Tony Bianco (not that you can see them but here's a pic)
Ear Cuff: H&M
Bracelet: Topshop
Rings: Lovisa
Clutch: Etsy (I think, it's my sister's) and insert made by me (out of a Mecca Maxima bag haha)!
Nails: Maybelline Bleached Neons in Sun Flare

I really love my dress actually, I like how it's simple but still a little glitzy/glam with the embellishment. I really like how flowy the skirt is and the sheer panel underneath the cropped top. It looks a bit more pink in the photos online, but I still liked the colour in real life, though it was a bit more beige! The sequins were silver however I was adamant on gold jewellery, so I decided to "mix metals" and I think it turned out really well.

I really loved the clear clutch too. I was set on peachy-pink (of course) so I decided to make the insert out of what I had lying around the house. I really love the pop of colour! I think if I had gone nude, it would have been a bit too drab for my liking.

The gorgeous gals.

Something we do at our school's formals are entrances! Everyone arrives at the "pre-formal" in a vehicle/mode of transportation and walk in on a red carpet - ooh la la! It's always really fun to see what everyone comes in - usually fancy or classic cars, limos, etc but it's always cool to come in something different! We decided to hire out a trackless train and it was so fun haha! We decorated it with fairy lights, and even drove it down to the dinner venue which was only 5 minutes away - but we were choo choo-ing on the roads!

The night was definitely one to remember, such a fun time with all my closest friends, and of course it was amazing to get dressed up for the night. It makes me sad to know that soon it will be all over and weird to think that I won't see my friends everyday at school. Enough sappy times, I hope you guys enjoyed this post!

What was your formal/prom experience like?

HAUL-I-DAYS

Haulidays, hauls for days, you get the idea. I only ever go on shopping sprees when I go on school holidays, which is like four times a year, so splurges are totally justifiable, right? A lot of this haul was for my upcoming Formal. I was originally going to do my own makeup, seeing as I'm scared of people messing it up, or doing it wrong, and me being too shy to speak up about it. But, I wanted to buy quite a lot of things which would've ended up costing more than getting it done, so I just decided to book in at Mecca Cosmetica. They have legit every product I'd want to be used and the cost is redeemable on products bweheheh >:).

Puretopia Sleep & Renew Rejuvinating & Firming Night Face Moisturiser

(srsly Puretopia why the such long names) I'm nearly out of my current night cream (Trilogy Rosapene Night Cream) and as much as I'd like to repurchase, it's $45 and I thought I'd try something new! I really like the spray toner from Puretopia so I thought I'd give this one a go. It has really nice ingredients like Rose hip oil and Vitamins C & E. Even if this isn't the greatest, I always mix in a few drops of a facial oil so hopefully it works out!

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub

Oh sweet jebus, I've been wanting this scrub for the longest time. Every time I go into Mecca/Kit I sniff this and cry a little inside, it smells so delicious. It's also my first proper scrub and my reasoning is that Summer is coming up - gotta get Summer ready! Lol, who am I kidding, I don't go outside. But also so I can get my limbs somewhat nice looking for Formal - scaly, lizard ness be gone! I was considering getting a scrub from Dirty Works which is the dupe brand, but I realised they really aren't that cheap! Their scrub is $13 and S&G is $16, just pay in a few extra bucks and get the real deal hey.

Decleor System Corps Lait Hydratant Moisturising Body Milk*

I was recently sent this from Facial Co and after a bit of a kerfuffle with mis-sent products, I finally got my hands on it! I've been using it and really liking it, it is a lightweight moisturiser that doesn't leave the skin feeling heavy or sticky, but rather glowy. Perfect for Summer!

Kerastase Ciment Thermique*

Kerastase has just released a new generation of their best selling Thermiques. I was sent Ciment Thermique which is a heat protectant that is thermo-activated and will help strengthen the hair fibre from within - apparently! I try to avoid heat as much as possible, purely because my hair is so damaged. I will definitely be giving this a go though, and will let you guys know how it fares!

Bourjois Healthy Balance Unifying Powder

Bout time I got this powder right? It's been raved about by just about everyone for being the 'non-powder' powder. It sets but still keeps skin radiant whilst adding a little extra coverage. Also apparently a dupe for the Chanel Les Beiges powders and Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk powder. I bought this since I hit pan on my other face powder - Australis Fresh and Flawless, plus Bourjois was doing a gift with purchase when you spent $19.95. The powder was $20. Unfortunately they were out of stock of the Bourjois GWPs, so I got an Almay one instead, which I'm quite excited about seeing as I haven't tried anything from them. Thank you Tam for picking this up for me!

Almay Get Up & Grow Mascara

The GWP came with this mascara which I'm actually pretty excited to use seeing as Emily Noel raves about it all the time! 

Almay Longwear & Waterproof eye makeup remover pads

I've also heard pretty great things about these. I tried one the other night and it definitely got off my waterproof mascara! The pads themselves are saturated in an oily solution which helps break down product. Very convenient little pads! The GWP came in a clear bag which I think will actually be quite good for in flight and things like that. 

Topshop Glow Stick in Spotlight

I've been seeing these cheek blushes and highlighters popping up everywhere online, and I spotted this guy on clearance for half price, coming down to $11. I really liked the colour when swatched, it's quite a sheeny, glowy light pink in the convenience of a chubby stick. I think it would work well as a layering highlighter, or blush/highlighter hybrid. 

Ardell Individuals Flare Short Black

I picked these up for my Formal and I decided to go down the individual lash route to try it out, knowing that they're supposed to give a more natural, fluttery lash look. I like the customisable-ness of them. I got the short ones since they seemed the best length for me - they're still longer than my natural eyelashes but nothing obscene - the long ones are CRAY. And there wasn't a set with just medium and short. I expect I can get very voluminous lashes with these - hopefully! These were $10.

Maybelline Colour Show Bleached Neons in Sun Flare

I was not aware that Maybelline were bringing over the Bleached Neons range, but they only had the nail polishes. Shame really, because I loved the look of the LE shades of the Elixirs and Colour Whispers. I was on the hunt for a pale peachy-pink polish for Formal, all the peachy pinks I have are mid-tone, and me being the fussy biatch needed something paler apparently! Nothing satisfied me in Priceline (seriously I got every peachy-pink polish to compare them (shoutout to Daphne for helping me choose ;) ), so I decided to go with Sun Flare. It's not exactly what I wanted, it's very much on the peach side of things, but I really like it and I think it will go with my dress/situation haha.

Tweezerman Mini Slant Tweezers

I picked these up on clearance at David Jones for about $11 I think, which I thought was a pretty great price! I've been wanting to try Tweezerman tweezers for ages, and trust me, my old pair of tweezers were SO old, and blunt and pretty dang terrible at doing their job. These Tweezerman ones are so damn sharp they could cut a b*tch, legit. Took me a while to master them, but they've definitely made plucking ma brows a little less stressful. Plus, the bee print is SO cute.

Jewellery - Topshop and Lovisa

I needed to pick up some jewellery to go with my dress. My dress has silver in it but since I'm so damn keen on wearing gold, I decided to go for the mixing metals thang of gold and silver. It works because the dress itself is a creamy-beige (wow it sounds so appealing) so it goes well with gold. I really liked wearing midi rings for my Semi, and decided to do the same for my Formal. I think the dress just suits much daintier jewellery. I picked up some gold rings from Lovisa and a bracelet from Topshop which has silver and gold - I think it's quite cute. But GUYS, do you see that triangle ring I bought!? BASTILLE RING. Seriously, it ain't just any old triangle, it screams BASTILLE TRIANGLE. I'm a little obsessed. Just a little.

Hope you guys enjoyed my haul! Formal is coming up very soon, less than two weeks in fact :O So yah, I'm defo in Formal prep mode.

*Products sent for consideration.

Half as Fancy

Hi guys! So I got back from my trip to Hong Kong and Vietnam yesterday! If you hadn't gathered, the posts from the last two weeks were scheduled and now I can finally sit down and write my semi-formal post! My grade 11 Graduation Dinner Dance (a.k.a Semi-Formal) was on the 30th of November (the day before I flew out!) and I wanted to share my outfit and makeup!

Products used:

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser in Brightener

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 53 and Revlon Colourstay Foundation for Oily/combo skin in Natural Beige

Sonia Kashuk Concealer Palette

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in Transparent

I used a mix of two foundations as the Bourjois is slightly too light while the Revlon is a tad too dark. Also I find the Revlon can be a bit heavy on its own, they both don't contain SPF (well the Colourstay has SPF 6) so they didn't flash back in flash photography!

For the Eyes:

Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer

The Balm Balm Jovi Palette shade Metallica 

Chi Chi Nudes Palette, second last shade

MAC Iridescent Loose Powder in Silver Dusk

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Black

The Body Shop Eye Definer in Moonstone

Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

L'oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara

Ardell 120 Lashes and Lash Grip

Because my dress is black with some silvery jewels (photos down below!!) I chose to go for a mainly silver eye with a gunmetally shade in the outer corner/crease - sort of smokey but not. I popped the MAC powder over top for a bit more sparkle (also in the inner corner and browbone). I did some winged liner and put on false lashes! I actually did a practice run of the makeup which was my first time putting on falsies and I was suprised at how well I did it haha, went pretty smoothly on the day too! I don't particularly love the mascara I used but it's waterproof (didn't want any smudging!) and I was wearing falsies anyway. I tightlined with black liner and put some champagne coloured liner on my waterline. 

Face and Brows:

Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in Dark Chocolate

Essence Lash and Brow Clear Mascara

Sleek Contour Kit in Light

BYS Blush Trio in Coral Me In

MAC Iridescent Loose Powder in Silver Dusk

I contoured and highlighted with the Sleek kit to eek out my non-existent cheekbones. I also topped off the highlight with the MAC powder for a little extra glow and the silver shade complements the rest of my makeup, accessories, etc. I opted for a blush that would complement the lipstick shade I wore and I used the far right shade which is a rather bright coral. I applied it extremely lightly though so it didn't detract from the rest of the makeup.

Lips and Nails:

Yardley Lip Definer in Pillar Box Red

Maybelline Colour Sensational Vivids in Vibrant Mandarin

OPI Nail polish (shade unknown)

I wanted to go all matchy matchy with my lips and nails but sadly the nail polish actually dried more red than in the bottle - oh well! Haha, they were similar enough. I wanted to go for a rather bright and bold lip as my outfit was all black and I wanted to add more colour! 

YEaaH...those selfies...haha

These photos are actually from my practice run of makeup a couple of days before so my hair isn't done here! It looked pretty much exactly the same on the day. I'm glad I took these photos though because it was pretty hectic on the day because I actually did two of my friends' makeup! Yep, it was like Salon Tasha up in here, haha! 

Onto my dress! Please excuse that the photos are not up to par with most fashion bloggers - I'm not one and my mum was behind the camera, haha. The dress is from ASOS and I actually bought it near the beginning of the year (risky, because it might not fit come the day or tastes may change, but luckily neither of those happened but it was pretty tight...). It has an open back and jewelled detailing on the front so I opted for minimal jewellery and an up-do. It also has a tulle skirt which was VERY puffy and big, so my mum ended up cutting a layer off and sewing it down at points to the lining haha. You can't tell it's been altered and I like it much better! My friend Tam did my hair in exchange that I did her makeup hehe! It's a french braid crown essentially and I really like it so thanks Tam! I borrowed both the clutch which is from Mimco and the wedges which are from Wittner from my sister. I really like the detailed wedge (which you can't really see) but it's gunmetal so it matched other bits of my outfit!

The earrings are my mum's and the rings I got from Lovisa. I really like the assortment of midi and normal rings and I think they added just the right amount of pizzazz.

The Gal Pals!

I hope you found this post somewhat interesting as I spent a while compiling this post! I had a really great night and it was an amazing way to end the year off - heaps of fun! It was pretty exciting to get all glammed up haha! Now to start hunting for a formal dress...

Shopping with RY.com.au

Hey guys! Recently I was offered the opportunity to have a little shop over at RY.com.au. I jumped at the chance as I have heard quite a few good things about the Australian based site! Being Australia's largest online haircare and beauty store, they sell a multitude of different brands, from skincare and makeup, to hair and nails and much more. They are generally at a cheaper price than if you were to buy instore, which is definitely a bonus!

The site itself is very user friendly. It is aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate! The site offers free delivery on orders over $100 (or $6.95 which is very reasonable), a price match guarantee, 120 day returns and free samples are included with every order! They also provide a rewards point system which is nice, but a little hard to earn without spending a ton of money. You earn 2 points for every dollar spent, and you get a dollar back for every 200 points. This equates to $1 back for every $100 spent, at least you're getting something back, right!

I purchased two products from the store; the Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner and the Ardell 120 Demi lashes. These two products ended up being around $46. The samples included were the Dermalogica Skin Smoothing Cream and the Alpha H Balancing Moisturiser and Gentle Exfoliant, both of which I am very excited to try! 

They came well packaged with paper stuffing to cushion the products, given that there were no breakables this was quite good and it secured the products. 

Onto how the shipping and delivery went. I placed this order on the 15th of October and it arrived on the 31st of October. First of all I will say that I did change my order and the customer service was excellent! They did ring me and email me back pretty quickly and any issues were sorted out well. In my first order part of my order was out of stock, and when I changed a product, it was out of stock also (an email is sent out notifying the customer, but the product out of stock is not specified). However, when I looked back at the website (for both occasions), they were still listed as 'in stock'. I think that they should update these statuses on the products accordingly and regularly to notify the customers before they order. It also stated in the email that they would be back in stock by 3 to 7 business days, and mine took 8 business days to finally be dispatched. Once it was shipped though, it arrived the next day which was awesome! They are located in the same state as me, but it came super quickly, so I don't think express shipping would be required.

Overall, I think that RY.com.au is a really great place to source products, etc online. I do think that there are a few aspects that could be improved, but all in all, it was a very pleasant experience to shop with them. I would wholeheartedly recommend them, and would definitely shop there again myself!

Also, this is my 100th post! Wowzers! I am so happy that I've been able to keep at blogging so consistently as I really didn't know how I would go. I'm super glad that I've been able to keep at it, and here's to another 100 posts! Haha, cheesy, I know.

Products provided but chosen by me for reviewing purposes of the website.