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!

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!

Bloggers United AU // Brisbane 2016

Why hello pals, it's been a minute, hasn't it? Well - I'm glad to say I've finished uni for the semester! Phew! I now have a few weeks off so I can hopefully get back into the swing of blogging - and tv marathoning :P What better way to get back into blogging than with a post all about a blogger event!? A couple of weeks ago I attended Bloggers United AU's first Brisbane event! Bloggers United AU was created by the lovely Jasmine and Nikita, and has been so successful having already hosted events in Perth, Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne! The day itself was SO amazing, being able to connect with bloggers and brands alike. We also received an absolutely crazy goody bag that I for sure had difficulty lugging to the train haha! I thought I would show you guys what we got - no bragging intended obvi - in case you saw anything you would like me to review especially!

Monthly Favourites // July 2015

Well, July came and went like THAT! *snaps finger for dramatic effect*. Legit though, I feel like I did absolutely nothing with my mid year break, oops. I did redo/move into my new room, so there's that!? Room tour coming soon(ish) - that is, if you want one! heh :P Anyway, favourites wise I did try quite a few new products throughout the month that you can check out in my haul. Some I acquired more towards the beginning of the month, and others more recently which will probably show up in my August faves! 

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!

That Cindy Glow

When it comes to cheek products, theBalm has it down. I'm a big lover of their blushes, and of course arguably their most popular product, Mary-Lou Manizer is my favourite highlighter. It only made sense that I pick up their latest Manizer release, Cindy-Lou. I mean, she's the slightly rosier sister of Mary, what's not to love?!

Monthly Favourites // December 2014

Happy Boxing Day peeps! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas Day yesterday (or today depending on where you live!) filled with food, fun and family! This year I've chosen to chill at home instead of shopping the Boxing day sales. I was planning on going out to see the last Hobbit movie but will be seeing it a little later, and today I'll be marathoning the first two Hobbit movies :D. But anyway, we've made it to the last monthly favourites of 2014! Can ya believe it?! I decided to do a December faves this year just because there are quite a few new products I've been using that I haven't yet shown you guys - not even in a haul! I will be doing some sort of yearly faves within the next couple of weeks (don't even know what products I'll be featuring yet, oops) but it'll be there ;).

The One and Only Tag

I was tagged a few months ago by Sheri to do the One and Only tag. I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get around to doing this, but school life just got in the way - damn you, school! Anyways, we're here now and I'm sharing what products would be my one and only of that category, my "holy grails" I guess you could say. However, in some categories, I thought of it in a way where I only have that product, so it would be a good multi-tasker, ya feel? Regardless, they're all faves and it was definitely a tough call. Especially since in some categories I don't have a product that I love more than the others, but I did my best!

PRIMER - Lorac Behind the Scenes Eyeshadow Primer

Does this count? I actually don't have many face primers, and I don't really love any of them, so I decided to go down the eyeshadow primer route. Eye primer is definitely a must for my oily lids! I really love the Lorac one, it seems to work really well to make shadows appear more vibrant, and last longer on my lids.

BASE PRODUCT - Bourjois Happy Light Foundation

This was definitely tough, I had a hard time choosing especially since this is the newest foundation in my stash but dang I love it. It's the perfect amount of coverage for me, light-medium, it's a great shade match, it leaves a satin, natural finish that lasts really well on me as my skin gets progressively dewier but never overly oily. 

POWDER - Australis Fresh & Flawless Powder

This has been with me for a good couple of years, and I've really loved it. It adds a hint of extra coverage whilst setting my makeup in place, never too flat matte or cakey looking. A really good powder, and a gem in the Australian drugstore!

CONCEALER - Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

I actually haven't tried that many concealers, but this is definitely a good 'un. It doesn't have the fullest coverage, but it looks natural and covers blemishes, scars and undereyes alike. It lasts pretty well too - the only qualm I have is that it can slightly accentuate flaky skin a bit. 

BLUSH - theBalm Instain Blush in the shade Toile

Oh blush, how you trouble me. This was hard considering blush is my weakness and I have a drawer overflowing with them. I chose the Instain Blush because damn girl, this blush be hella long lasting. It's very pigmented, yet blendable, smooth and creates a lovely flush. Toile is a strawberry coral shade that I love, and it actually looks quite natural on.

HIGHLIGHTER - theBalm Mary-Lou Manizer

Oop, another theBalm product, they just know how to do cheek products. The hype is real on this highlighter, it's gorgeous. The golden tone complements my skintone so well, it's smooth, pigmented and crazy beautiful glowy. Love.

EYEBROW PRODUCT - Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in Dark Chocolate

Technically already the only brow filler-inner I own, but it works perfectly for me. The cool-toned deep brown suits my hair really well, without making me look like I have black eyebrows. Filling in with powder is super quick and easy, it looks natural and it legit makes the hugest difference.

BRONZER - Nvey Eco Natural Bronze Organic Compact Bronzer

This was quite an unexpected favourite but I do really like it. I'm not sure if it's holy grail status, but I've been really loving it lately, and would be happy with this alone. It looks quite ruddy and terracotta like in the pan, but it blends really well on the skin, adding warmth, shape and shadow to the face. It's has a matte finish, and the powder itself is of high quality - soft, pigmented and blendable.

MAKEUP BRUSH - Real Techniques Multi-task Brush

I don't think I can pick out a favourite brush, but if I could only have one, I'd choose the Multi-task brush. Like the name suggests, this brush can do many things. It has foundation, powder, blush, bronzer and highlighter covered. It's dense yet fluffy, super soft and a really great shape to cater for different needs.

MASCARA - ???

I honestly couldn't choose a mascara! I haven't come across one that I've loved any more than another so have to leave this one blank. My perfect mascara would be waterproof and be able to hold a curl well, be lengthening, defining and volumising. Well that would be a super mascara.

EYESHADOW - Lorac Pro Palette or Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze

Okay, okay, I have two products but hear me out! I wasn't sure if this question meant just one shade, or one eyeshadow product. In the case of the former, I'd go for Bad to the Bronze. It's such a great bronze shade that is perfect for slapping all over the lid. It really is the perfect, everyday one shadow look product. Although it does still crease on me, it lasts longer than powder. If I could choose an eyeshadow product, hands down it would be the Pro Palette. This thing is amazing. Its shades are beautifully pigmented, soft and versatile.

EYELINER - Essence Gel Eyeliner in BBC All Night Brown
While I like my pencil and liquid liners just fine, this gel liner is the only one I really love. Shame it's discontinued. Damn you, Essence! It's a really pretty bronzy-brown with a slight golden shimmer. It's creamy, pigmented and long lasting. Also, if I only had this, it would work excellently as a cream shadow for a smokey eye or as a base!

LIPGLOSS - Maybelline Colour Elixir in Caramel Infused
This was actually such a hard decision. I was tossing up between this one and the NYX Butter Gloss. Ultimately I went for this because I feel like the formula is just a tad more translucent and glossy, but still pigmented and not sticky at all. It really evens out the lip surface making them look really good. Also, I wear this shade all the dang time.

LIPSTICK - MAC Morange (a review from the dark days of my blog, literally)
This was also quite a difficult category, mainly because I actually don't have a lipstick formula that I love more than any other. I settled for this one as it is crazy pigmented, smooth and creamy. It has a satin finish and is long lasting, but isn't at all drying. The shade is a stunner of an orangey red too.

A very tough tag that forced me to choose favourites (you're all still my bbys though!) haha! I tag Cherie, Vanessa, Yige, Daphne and Ash, if you guys haven't already done it, and anyone else who would like to!

Monthly Favourites // September 2014

Yes indeedy, it's the end of September, and that scares me. My university course preferences are officially in - there's no more running from my future (or lack thereof)! Pretty soon I'll be out of high school and forced to face the real world...and I ain't ready. So instead...let's talk favourites ay? I don't have too many this month, mainly because I haven't bought new makeup/stuff in ages (yay me) so I didn't have many new things to try. However, there are a few things here that I haven't mentioned on the blog before!

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter
A full review of this is on the way, but as you can see, I've already hit pan on the stuff - say whaaat?! I'll be honest, I do feel like I'm going through this quite quickly, and I don't even use it every night. Most times I do use it, I double cleanse. I really like it and I guess you could say it's my first foray into proper balm cleansers. It removes makeup super well and definitely cleanses the skin - though I always do a double cleanse - with a face cloth. It thins out to a bit of an oily texture, however it doesn't leave the skin feeling oily at all. Meaning, it doesn't make my skin feel hydrated after, but it's definitely not dry at all. Regardless, a really awesome cleansing and makeup removing product!

Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner*
Aah yep, this guy's making a return! Since I finished up my FAB Facial Radiance Pads, I've switched back to this chemically exfoliating toner. I can't say which I like better, they do pretty much the same thing. Clearer complexion, smoother skin texture and overall better looking skin is what this guy'll get you!

NAT. Vitamin C Serum*
My last post was a review on this so I won't ramble, but basically I've been using this everyday as my morning time serum and it's awesome. Super hydrating, sits well under makeup despite being an oil and I've definitely noticed a difference in my skin tone. Good stuff.

theBalm Balm Jovi Rockstar Face Palette
I've mentioned this product countless times on the blog, though mostly for the two cheek products. This month however, I've been enjoying the eyeshadows! As I mentioned, I went away for a week down to Melbourne and I took this palette with me (it's super compact and awesome for travel). The eyeshadows served me well. It contains a variety of different finishes (shimmer and matte) and shades (neutral and slight colours). The textures are pretty awesome too - pigmented and very easily blended.

Face of Australia GLAMAZON Contour & Highlight Kit in Leopardess 
Sadly this little duo was limited edition - there may still be a few floating around though! I was planning to do a review but it slipped my mind, do let me know if you'd still like to read it! Basically the contour shade in this is da bomb. Yes I just wrote da bomb. It's cool-toned, dark - but not too dark, smooth and blendable. It's also actually not too heavily pigmented, making it easy to apply just the right amount to get a lurvely shadow. Definitely my new favourite contouring shade, and I totally look like I have some cheekbone-age (sadly not Cumberbatch level). The highlighter is really pretty too!

Benefit They're Real Mascara
I finally got around to using my sample size on my trip to Melbs (I still have too many unopened AND opened mascaras...sigh) and must say, was initially unimpressed! The first time I used it, it smudged after two hours...TWO HOURS. That is a short amount of time my friends. However, on subsequent uses, I made sure to powder under my eyes well, and it lasted much better. It only smudged a little towards the end of the day. Anyways, I really like the brush - it grabs onto my (very few) lashes and does lengthen and give good volume. It even helps pump 'em up a bit even if I haven't curled my lashes, making them somewhat noticeable. Definitely one of the more 'dramatic' mascaras I've used and does quite a lot with my really sucky eyelashes.

Cuponation
Y'all probably know by now that I am a bargain hunter, I shop dem sales and hold off buying things until they go on sale (I'm very stingy). I thought I'd mention a site I recently came across that basically puts together sales, deals and coupon codes in one place. The site is called Cuponation, and has offers on beauty places like Priceline and Beautybay, as well as heaps of other categories like fashion! It's super convenient and a site I'll be looking at to check for all the deals without having to rifle through individual sites/catalogues.

Broods

I do have a music favourite this month, and it is the brother-sister duo from New Zealand called Broods! They do have quite a Lorde-y feel to them (they have the same producer) but regardless, they've created some really awesome music. Like really awesome. I've been listening to them on repeat for the last month. They make for really great study music and seriously I'm still not sick of them. Some of my favourites are Evergreen, Superstar, Mother & Father, Never Gonna Change and Coattails - I know that's a lot, but seriously I love every song. Also I'm so sad that I won't be able to go to their concert here, since it's 18+, but HOW IRONIC because I'll be in New Zealand when they're here. 

September faves done and dusted - what have been your favourites this month?

*Products sent for consideration. 

This post contains some sponsored content. For more information, please read my Disclaimer.

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.

Monthly Favourites // February 2014

The shortest month of the year is near its end, and so comes the Autumn season! I'm not sure if I'm that excited for the cooler months, but since it has been SO bloody hot here, I'm definitely ready for a break. I'm here to bring you my collection of favourite products for the month. I don't have very many, but I do have some new products and some rediscovered.

Sanctuary Spa Brightening Facial Radiance Exfoliator

My scrub of choice for the month. I've been using this 2-3 times a week and have been enjoying it. I'd say it's medium on the scale of abrasive-ness, it's composed of a gel base and scrubby granules as well as fruit extracts to help chemically exfoliate. The granules aren't very dense though, so I find myself using more product than usual (maybe 1.5 peas?). My skin feels very soft after use though, in terms of brightening, I'm yet to see significant result.

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara

For the days I've been wearing mascara it was most often this one. I really like that the brush is thin(ish) but still very bristly and grabs all the lashes. It lengthens, defines and thickens the lashes, looking very natural and without clumping. It says with "fibres" but I actually don't notice that it contains any.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in the shade Medium

I've been thoroughly enjoying this concealer lately. It's much quicker and more convenient that having to dip from a pan. The shade is a good match, it has a good coverage (not totally full though) and works well for both under the eyes and around the face, without accentuating dry patches.

Topshop Head over Heels, theBalm Frat Boy

Topshop Cream Blush in Head over Heels and theBalm Powder blush in Frat Boy

I've been on a serious peachy-pink blush kick this month (aren't I always though?) and I pretty much wore these two exclusively. Before this month, I hadn't worn HOH for so long mainly because I never really knew the best way to apply it. I've since found the best brush to apply this cream-to-powder with (which I will talk about next). I also wasn't wearing Frat Boy nearly as much as I should have been as it's in a palette which I keep in my eye drawer and always forget about when it comes to applying blush. I made a point of putting the palette on top of my daily makeup storage after seeing it in so many b/vloggers favourites and have worn it so much since. It actually pulls a lot more peach when applied to my face, it's also very long lasting!

Real Techniques Multi-Task Brush

I recently made a few purchases off of iHerb (my sister was making an order) and picked up a few of the RT things I've been wanting. This is in the Travel Essentials kit and what I've been using to apply the Topshop blush as well as my face powder. Lily Pebbles recently described it as being a mix between the Blush brush and the Buffing brush, and I couldn't agree more! It is still fluffy, but is also a bit more dense than the blush brush. It's density picks up the product really well, but it's fluffiness blends it out effortlessly. I don't use this for more pigmented blushes though as I think it's probably a bit too dense.

Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder in the shade Darkest Brown

A long time fave right here and one that I've been reaching for pretty much everyday this month. It's perfect for topping off BB creams or sheerer coverage foundations. It sets and mattifies with a natural matte finish and adds a tad more coverage. It's a very soft, and creamy powder that never looks cakey or powdery on the skin.

Chvrches The Bones of What you Believe

Lastly I have a music favourite! I've been listening to this album pretty much on repeat for the month. A band I discovered through the Triple J Hottest Hundred (which I've also been loving listening to) and one that I pretty much fell in love with immediately! I love their style of synthpop and their songs are seriously awesome. Not a single one on the album I don't like. It's been making studying a lot less dreary!

The Standouts of 2013

Hello 2014! I hope you guys all had a happy new year! I cannot believe another year has been and gone, and it will probably take me a while for the fact that we are in 2014 to sink in. Anyways lets live in the past and take a look at my most favoured products from 2013! I haven't covered all categories as I didn't necessarily have a FAVOURITE favourite for every area. Despite that, I still had trouble narrowing things down so you're in store for quite a few products! Also, I haven't touched on tools or skincare, haircare, bodycare or nails. For tools, pretty much all Real Techniques and for skincare, check out my skincare routine posts here, here and here. Reviews have been linked where applicable! Let's jump in!

Face:

• Laura Mercier Foundation Primer
• Maybelline Dream Pure BB cream in shade Medium
• Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in shade Light Beige
• Neutrogena Healthy Skin liquid makeup in shade Natural Beige

I find the Laura Mercier primer generally good at prolonging the wear of foundation and keeping it looking better for longer. My BB cream favourite was hard to choose, but I found myself reaching for the Maybelline a lot. Good colour, coverage and finish. Foundation wise, for a lot of the year the Bourjois was a go-to but I found the shade quite light towards the end of the year. I've used it by mixing with other products and a hefty load of bronzer. Lovely finish on the skin and a nice light-medium buildable coverage. The Neutrogena is pretty much a spot on colour and offers a good medium coverage with a very natural skin like finish. Not too dewy or too matte.

Cheeks:

• Models Prefer Desk to Date
• The Balm Instain Blush in Toile
• Essence Silky Touch blush in Natural Beauty
• Sleek Contour Kit in Light
• Jane Iredale Bronzing Powder in So-Bronze 1
• The Balm Mary Lou-Manizer

I am a self-professed blush junkie but these three were probably my most worn. I like Desk to Date for an easy, goes-with-everything light peachy pink, Toile for something slightly brighter but still natural and Natural Beauty for a bit of a 'nothingy' cheek - it's the perfect blend of a blush, bronzer and highlighter in one. For contouring my main favourite has been the Sleek (mainly just the contour shade), a nice brown that isn't hard to work with and creates a natural looking shadow. For bronzing all over the face, Jane Iredale has been my pick. A nice warm brown that is only slightly darker than my skintone and gives warmth and colour to the face. Highlighter fave is hands down Mary Lou-Manizer. It provides an amazing champagne-golden glow which I love.

Eyes:

• Essence I love Stage Eyeshadow Base
• Estee Lauder Pure Color Stay-on Shadow Paint in shade Halo
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in shade Bad to the Bronze
• MAC eyshadow in shade All that Glitters
• Essence Gel Eyeliner in shade BBC All Night Brown
• Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Nude Palette
• Lorac Pro Palette, particularly shades Taupe, Espresso, Gold, Lt. Bronze and Pewter
• Dolly Wink Eyebrow Powder in shade Dark Chocolate

The sadly discontinued Essence eye primer has been my most used and loved this year. My two favourite cream shadows were from Estee Lauder and Maybelline. Bad to the Bronze made the perfect single shadow eye look while Halo was both a great base and all over lid shade. All that Glitters was definitely a favourite - I love the pinky-beige metallic colour! Also discontinued is the Essence Gel Liner which I used quite often for both a winged liner and smudged on the lower lashline. The deep bronzy brown made for a perfect casual liner look. The Napoleon palette is filled with matte shades which I used both on their own or to accompany other eyeshadows. Also filled with mattes is the Pro Palette which contains a bevy of shades to create a multitude of looks! Also some of the best formulas were found in this palette. Pretty much the only thing to grace my eyebrows was the Dolly Wink powder - perfect shade for my black hair!

Lips:

• Essence lipstick in shade All about Cupcake
• L'oreal Nutri-shine balm in shade Nudy Coral
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Venetian Rose
• L'oreal Nutri-shine Lipstick in shade Pink Nude
• Estee Lauder Signature Hydralustre Lipstick in Soft Amethyst
• NYX Butter Gloss in shade Peaches and Cream
• Witchery Lip Gloss Wand in shade Blossom
• Nivea Lip Butter

All about Cupcake and Nudy Coral were probably my most worn lipsticks of the year. All about Cupcake being the perfect my-lips-but-better (and more pink) and Nudy Coral being a lovely tinted lip balm with the tiniest hint of colour. Venetian Rose is sadly discontinued but is probably the best peachy nude I've come across so far. It's not really nude but it's really the perfect neutral peach for my skin tone! Pink Nude is just a beautiful colour. It's got hints of pink and peach, with a neutral tone - lurve it! For the wearable purply-plum lip, my fave has to be Soft Amethyst. Lovely formula and really flattering! It's purple without being PURPLE. The NYX gloss has a lovely texture and the colour is just really lovely. The Witchery gloss however, is the lipgloss that got me liking lipglosses. Probably my favourite lipgloss formula yet (though the NYX is rivaling it) - thin, non-sticky and pigmented. The Nivea lip balm has definitely been my fave. My lips have been very fussy and lip balms that I used to love seemed to irritate my lips. The Lip Butter saved my lips and has been pretty much the only balm I've used since!

Fragrance:

• Elizabeth Arden Green Tea Camellia

This scent has definitely been my most used. It's light, summery and really nice for every day wear.

So that concludes my beauty favourites for the year that was! I will be doing a part two concerning more 'entertainment' favourites I guess you could call them, including favourite TV shows, books, movies and other varying ways to procrastinate.

What have been your favourite products of 2013?