My Summer Essentials

It took a minute, but summer is well and truly in full swing in Brisbane! The sun be swelterin' and the sweat be drippin'. I figured now was a good a time as any to share some of my essential products for combatting the hot weather (or rather making it more bearable!). 

Collective Haul // November 2017

The last haul (hurrah!) of the year! November was FILLED with sales - almost too many sales for that matter. Was it just me, or were black friday and cyber monday absolutely crazy this year? It felt like every single shop and online store was having a sale, it was quite frankly overwhelming! Buuut that didn't stop me from doing some damage haha. My bank account definitely took a battering and yet I still haven't even finished my Christmas shopping. Oops. Onto the haul!

NOTD // A few Ulta3 Polishes

A little while ago I was lucky enough to win a prize from Tried and Tested blog (thanks so much Snezana!) which was a massive box of (15!) Ulta3 nail polishes! Ulta3 is actually one of my favourite nail polish brands. They have a wide and diverse range of shades, great quality and super cheap at only a few dollars a bottle! The only sucky thing is that it can be hard to find a particular shade since they're display is pretty much just a bin full of nail polish. Needless to say though, they take up the majority of my nail polish collection! I've been slowly trying each of the new shades I won, and decided to share a few!

Potent Paints

I was recently lucky enough to win an Instagram giveaway held by Ulta 3, the prize featured the full range of their Lip Paints plus matching nail polishes. Now, I'm a big fan of Ulta 3, out of my nail polish collection I own the most Ulta 3 polishes and I've also reviewed a couple of their lipsticks which are really good! I was very excited by this release but was scared they were going to be similar to the Rimmel Apocalips (ie. a wet, sloppy mess), but have no fear because they're much better!

The Lip Paints are packaged similarly to the Australis Pout Pastes; a squeezy tube with a doe-foot applicator, making the product very easy to apply. The tubes are colour co-ordinated making them very easy to spot in your collection. I really like the typography on the tubes, I think it's super cute and not tacky at all!

Basically these are another liquid lipstick type product - colour and longevity of a lipstick, with the ease of application and shine of a gloss. So, as you can see, these babies are incredibly pigmented in one swipe, one layer is generally all you need. You can also sheer them out by applying a dab and blending over the lips. The texture is not thick, gloopy or sticky at all, but not uber thin or wet either. It's somewhere in the middle that allows it to be applied and spread easily over the lips, yet not be wet or transfer that easily (they still do a little though). They have a slight sheen but not very glossy, it just gives a comfortable feel on the lips. 

I was actually quite surprised by the staying power of these lippies! It still looked perfect after 3 or so hours, and it survived through lunch! I always have my friend do a lip check (after all, what are friends for) and she was like "It actually still looks really good! Good job whatever lipstick you're wearing!", so there ya go, good job Ulta 3! I didn't need to reapply for a while after, but I did get a bit of wear through the centre of the lips after another couple of hours, but it's not that noticeable as they do stain the lips slightly. They're very easy to reapply though!

They also claim to be enriched with Vitamin E making them moisturising. I wouldn't particularly say they're moisturising, while they did leave my lips a tad drier, it wasn't anything considerable. They are still extremely comfortable to wear. They also have a peppermint scent which I quite enjoy - it smells like Arnotts Mint Slice!

L-R: Eclectic Orange, Radical Red, Expressive Fuchsia, Extreme Pink, Manic Mauve, Loud Purple

Eclectic Orange is a bright, true orange. It's not very red-leaning making it a little less wearable. On my very yellow skintone, it can tend to look a little pumpkin-y, but still nice!

Radical Red is a nice, true red, if anything a tad blue-toned.

Expressive Fuchsia is a hot pink that is slightly fuchsia-leaning.

Extreme Pink is an incredibly pale, cool-toned bubblegum pink. Probably my least favourite shade because it doesn't sit very well on my skintone.

Manic Mauve is the perfect mauve for the cooler seasons. It's a very wearable, slightly berry-toned mauve.

Loud Purple is PURPLE, but dang I love it! It's definitely eye-catching and quite a grape-y purple/violet shade.

What I also love about these is how easy they are to mix and blend colours. I've found this is my favourite way to use them - there is an abundance of colours you can create! Makes some of the less wearable colours a bit more wearable. These are a few of my favourite combos:

L-R: Orange + Pink, Mauve + Purple, Fuchsia + Red

Overall I've thoroughly been enjoying the Ulta 3 Lip Paints. They definitely surpassed whatever expectations I had of them, and I think I'll definitely be reaching for them whenever I get the tingles for a bold lip. They are absolutely amazing for the low price of AUD$5.95 and I fo sho recommend them over the Apocalips.

NOTD // Stack the Deck

A few weeks ago was my friend's birthday party which was slightly Alice in Wonderland themed. A couple of friends and I ended up going as Tweedledum, Tweedledee and Tweedle...daa, yeah...haha! It wasn't full on dress up though but it was a heap of fun :) I ended up doing my nails somewhat card inspired, but who am I kidding, it's really just red, black and white - close enough...right?

To make things interesting, I threw a couple of glitter polishes into the mix; Ulta 3 Stop the Press and Sportsgirl Party Popper. I've already done a NOTD with Stop the Press  here that you can check out. Party Popper is a really pretty glitter combination that has matte coral, white and grey hexagonal glitters of varying sizes. The glitter coverage is really good and was easily applied using the dabbing method. I love how it turned out and I think it would look really good over a range of shades!

On a couple of nails, I did a jelly sandwich using Essie Marshmallow which is a white jelly polish. I really liked the milky, layered effect. My pinky finger almost looks like cookies and cream!

The other polishes I used were a random black, Revlon China Flower and Sportsgirl Snow. I really like the end product actually! Although it was a bit random, there was a colour theme and I got a few compliments too!

NOTD // Stop the Press for Audrey

It's Nail of the Day time! I have another glittery combo today, but matte glitter instead of your typical reflective glitters. It features Ulta3 Stop the Press which came out in their Glitterati collection sometime last year. I decided to pair it with one of my favourite polishes (which is a cult favourite from the brand) China Glaze For Audrey.

Matte glitters were originally a concept you could only find in Indie polishes, but recently have started to filter into more mainstream brands, and the drugstore. Currently, matte glitters don't have a heavy presence in Australian drugstores, but hopefully that will change as many brands have started to bring them out in the US. Stop the Press contains matte black and white hexagonal glitters in two sizes in a clear base. There isn't any glitter fishing required and you get a good coverage in one coat (shown above), but with more of a dabbing motion. Black and white glitters pretty much go with any shade underneath, whether they be super bright, neon shades or light pastels. You could even top off a neutral or grey shade for a more subtle look. They add interest to the nail and almost give a splattered effect from far away. 

For Audrey is of course a cult favourite from the brand due to its not-so-secret resemblance to the Tiffany & Co turquoise, robin egg blue shade. It's such a pretty colour! It's a creamy shade with a good formula, opaque in two coats with no streaking or uneven application. It also doesn't stain the nails.

I really, really enjoyed this mani and will definitely be wearing Stop the Press again with a few more shades.

What are your thoughts on the matte glitter trend?

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! 

NOTD | Giving me the Warm & Fuzzies

Hi guys! I've got a NOTD for you all today, showcasing one of the new Sally Hansen Fuzzy Coat polishes. This one is in the shade Fuzz-sea. I also managed to pick up another one yesterday from the Chemist Warehouse 50% off sale in the shade Peach Fuzz. I may do another post featuring that one too sometime! The color range and combinations are absolutely adorable and I think would be amazing for springtime!

The Fuzzy Coat polishes are composed of small and thin bar glitters in a clear base. A lot of brands are coming out with these types of glitters, but Sally Hansen is the only brand readily available in Australia currently. I really enjoy the overall effect of it as a top coat! From afar it looks like a mottled colourful pattern, but up close you can discern the glitters. I wouldn't say they look particularly fuzzy (nor do they feel that way, haha) but the other theme they have taken to is a wool theme, which I will admit it does look like! You know, one of those sweaters with the different colours? Anyways the fuzzy names are very cute!

I've used one quite thick coat to get the look pictured. There isn't a lot of fishing required, but the glitter isn't SUPER densely packed. You can achieve full opacity with about 4 coats, but I think that would be a pain to remove! They don't dry too bumpy either, but I've used two coats of my trusty Revlon Colorstay top coat to get a glassy smooth finish.

Fuzz-Sea is a really complementary and cute colour combination! It's made up of turquoise blue glitters and yellow-green glitters. I've decided to top it over Ulta 3 Sea Breeze Swirl which came in their 2012 Christmas candy cane. Sea Breeze Swirl is a light teal green. It appears more minty in the bottle but dries darker on the nail. The formula on this polish was not that great, it applied quite unevenly and required three coats for opacity. However, I think the colour goes really well with the fuzzies!

Overall, I really love the effect the Fuzzy Coat brings to the nail look. It adds interest and an element of nail art with little effort at all.

I also want to add that on Saturday, I'm going camping over at Fraser Island until Thursday! It's sort of a tradition (but not annually haha) and I've already been countless times before! I really love going but there will be no Internet or phone (how will I survive!? I'll be reading Cassandra Clare's The Infernal Devices ;) ). We are staying at a camp site which has communal barbecue areas and toilets, we've stayed there many times already and it is very enjoyable, so I'm not going totally bush/beach (even though I have before, it's really not fun showering)! Hopefully, if all goes to plan, I'll still have my posts scheduled going up on Monday and Thursday. Let's hope there are no technical difficulties!

Have you tried the Fuzzy Coats? Are you a fan?

More than just Nail Polish

Hey Guys! Ulta3 is one of my favourite nail polish brands as they are so cheap ($2 a pop) and really good quality too! I always knew they had a small range of makeup but I hadn't delved into it...until now.

I had heard quite good things about their lipsticks, so whilst in Terry White I decided to give a couple a go. They have 2 ranges of differing finishes, matte and moisturising. The mattes go for $3.95 and the moisturising ones are $2.95. So very cheap just like the polishes, but...are they similar in quality?

I picked up one of each; 037 Hot Pink Kisses (matte) and 057 Sunkiss Me (moisturising). I actually really like the packaging on these. The tubes are black and very sleek, the outer corresponds to the finish of it - if it is matte, the packaging is matte and if it is moisturising the packaging is glossy. I really like that you can see the colour of the lipstick through the bottom also. The packaging really does seem and feel a lot more expensive than it really is!

For the shades themselves:

Hot Pink Kisses is a matte purple-berry-pink, not hot pink as the name would suggest.

Sunkiss Me is a sheer and glossy corally apricot shade.

Onto the formula:

For the matte shade Hot Pink Kisses, it is really pigmented and smooth to apply. It's not totally matte and still has the slightest sheen, but overall on the lips is fairly matte. It isn't too drying either. I find it does cling to dry/flaky bits (as I find most lipsticks do, especially of the matte variety) so be sure to scrub up beforehand! I find it lasted really well on me, it was looking pretty good for 4 hours up until I chowed down on a Grill'd burger. Even then it was still looking good as it leaves a stain. I imagine with little eating or drinking, this would last extremely well!

For the moisturising shade Sunkiss Me I find it has a glossy and sheer formula but still has quite good colour payoff. I don't find it particularly moisturising on the lips though it isn't at all drying. When swatched it looks rather glossy, though on the lips it is not as shiny. It definitely has a shine/sheen though and has a translucent look to it. Although the shade is on the sheer side, it is quite buildable, so you can achieve quite a bright lip with this. It doesn't accentuate dry patches too badly either. Due to its sheer and glossy qualities, it does not last very well on the lips - though this is how I typically find most sheer lippies wear. 

These do have a scent which does linger slightly. The moisturising one smells like musk stick lollies to me and the matte one is kinda fruity but a bit chemical-ly also? 

Hot Pink Kisses, Sunkiss Me

So there you have my thoughts on the Ulta3 lippies! I really like them and they have a good range of colours and I like that they have a matte and glossy range. For the price, they are a steal! Especially the matte ones as they are so pigmented and long wearing.

Have you tried the Ulta3 lipsticks, or any of their other makeup? Let me know if you have any recommendations!

Collective Haul | February + March 2013

Today I have a collective haul to share that I have been accumulating for around 2 months! I've been buying things here and there so this is what's new!

First up, a few skincare bits:

Yes, the esteemed Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellare Solution. I've been wanting this for a little while and bought a 2 pack from Ebay which I split with my sister. It came to $18 each, which is quite expensive for 250mL of product, in my opinion. I'll have a full review up soon about whether or not I think it's worth it!

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips for $4 (Full price ~$6) from Chemist Warehouse. A lot of mixed and skeptical reviews on this product!

Garnier Pure 3in1 Wash-Scrub-Mask for $7 from Kmart (Full price ~$12).

Origins Super Spot Remover for $19 from Mecca Maxima.

Sportsgirl Nail polished in Galactic Glamour and Ruby Slippers for $3.40 each (Full price $7.95).

Maybelline Color tattoo in Bad to the Bronze for $6.75 (full price $11.75) from Kmart.

Ulta3 lipsticks in Hot Pink Kisses and Sunkiss me for $3.95 and $2.95 respectively from Terry White Chemist.

Sinful Colors Nail polishes in Pistache and Envy for $4 each from Kmart. I would recommend buying these from Kmart as they are 95c cheaper than Target!

Nivea Lip Butter in Caramel Cream for $3.89 (Full price ~$5) from Target.

Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve for $1.46 (full price $1.95) from Target.

So those are all my purchases from the past two months! I was actually naughty and bought a couple of things yesterday, but I'll save those for another post!

Most Worn Things TAG | Summer

Today I have a TAG to share with you! I was tagged by Cherie to do the Most Worn Things for Summer Tag. For me, a third of this past summer was spent travelling, and for a lot of the rest of it was pretty dreary! It rained quite a lot over here and it really dampened the Summer! Anyhoo, here are the things I wore most for the past 3 months!

1. Most worn Nail Polish

Being such a nail polish junkie, I couldn't just pick one! Throughout Summer I wore Ulta3 Watermelon (a wonderful pinky-coral), China Glaze For Audrey (Signature Tiffany-blue) and Orly Rage (silvered rose gold) most often. I actually took Watermelon and Rage with me travelling. 

Rage, For Audrey, Watermelon

2. Most worn Hair Product

I don't often style my hair as it is pretty low maintenance but I am all about trying to prevent damage and especially split ends and just making it look smooth and shiny. The Matrix Break Fix Leave-in Elixir was my most used leave-in conditioner. It helped make my hair soft, smooth and just better in general! You obviously can't repair split ends but I think it has helped prevent them.

3. Most worn Bag

My most worn bag is probably this Sportsgirl one. I typically use smaller bags as I don't carry a ton around with me and this is the perfect size and is quite deceiving in how much it can hold! It goes with everything and I actually took it travelling with me.

4. Most worn Shoes

These Studded loafers which I purchased in South Africa are amazing! They're pretty comfy, super cheap and go with most things for a casual but trendy look.

5. Most worn Clothing Item

These are some floral cherry blossom, scalloped, high-waisted shorts from Forever New. I don't believe you can get this print anymore but they always bring back the same style in heaps of different colours. I took these also on my holiday for a casual but also put-together outfit and they are exactly my style.

6. Most worn Accessory

My most worn accessory is probably this rose gold hair cuff from Sportsgirl. I am always wearing my hair in ponytails and this just makes it a bit more snazzy!

7. Most worn Foundation

My most worn 'foundation' is my Garnier BB Cream for oily/combo skin. I really like this for light coverage, matte finish, SPF, and it's just a really nice product.

8. Most worn Bronzer and/or Blush

My most worn Bronzer is the Essence Sun Club Bronzer in 02 Sunny. It's completely matte and nice for natural contouring.

For Blush it has to be my Clinique Young Face Powder blush in Warm Blush/Honey Blush. This product is discontinued but I used this basically everyday also because I took it travelling. It has a shimmery rose pink and a matte, 'dirty' peach. 

9. Most worn Lip Product

Besides lip balm, I wore this Estee Lauder Signature lipstick in Venetian Rose a lot. It is discontinued (I think) but it is a really pretty, dark, 'dirty' peach. I really like it on my skintone.

10. Most worn Mascara

My most worn mascara is probably Maybelline's Volum' Express The Colossal. I really like this mascara, it  gives good length, volume and doesn't clump up my lashes. The wand is a little too big for my liking but it does the job.

11. Most worn Eyeshadow

My go-to is the Clinique colour surge eyeshadow duo in Like Mink. It contains two easy, no-brainer shades. A really pretty champagne and a brown with golden shimmer. This is still available, just in the revamped packaging.

12. Most worn Fragrance

My scent for Summer was definitely MOR Perfume oil in Lychee Flower. I suck at describing scents but it's just a really 'pretty' floral and sweet scent. It is in roller ball form so super easy to apply and throw in your bag, lasts a long time and is pretty cheap considering it doesn't even look like I've used much at all!

Sunny Bronzer, Warm Blush, Honey Blush, Venetian Rose lipstick, Like Mink duo

Hope you guys enjoyed the tag! Thanks Cherie for tagging me and it was really fun to do!