Mid Year Makeup Favourites

Hey guys! I've definitely been missing you guys so while I'm on mid year holidays, I thought I would do a mid year favourites post. Kind of like a yearly one but half, hahaha and also because I've discovered some fantastic products this year so far that I really want to share with you.

Face

Dr. Jart Rejuvinating Blemish Base Silver Label BB Cream 

Oh mylanta. I have been obsessed with this product for the entire year so far. It is honestly the only foundation product I've used all year except for my Nars Sheer Glow twice for two formals because it photographs well.  I've even had Giorgio Armani foundation samples that I still haven't tried because this BB Cream is simply amazing. It completely trumps all the other foundations I've tried. I just love the ease and practicality of this product. It's so easy to apply with any tool, I prefer using my fingers or my beauty blender, it looks so seamless and natural on the skin. It doesn't look like you're wearing tons of makeup, just that you have really awesome skin! The coverage is also build-able, which is fantastic because you can use a tiny bit to get light coverage or you can build it up to get almost full coverage even. I usually wear it at medium coverage using about half a pea size give or take. If I'm in a pinch, it gives great brightening under the eyes too or even when dabbing it on a blemish. It also has SPF 35 which is awesome and helps fight blemishes/redness with decent oil control. I love this product so much and it's all I ever use now, it's just legendary!

Bobbi Brown Tinted Eye Brightener in Light-Med Peach

I've mentioned this product before so I'm not going to go in depth. This is just my favourite under eye concealer and it's quite a light formula which I like and it's peachy undertone is great at correcting dark circles. I can't wait to get the new packaging of a doe foot applicator when I'm finished. 

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC30

Again, another staple of mine. Still my favourite concealer. It just is fantastic at covering blemishes but still looking natural. 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium Dark

And once again, a staple of mine. Just such a fantastic natural powder that gives a really nice finish. However, not the best if you want really good oil control. Hence, I've been starting to use the next product quite a lot. 

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Beige Medium

Great powder for more oil control. I will still need to blot throughout the day but it's much better oil control than my MAC one. It looks pretty natural however, the finish isn't AS nice as the MAC one. Well you can't have everything can you?

Bobbi Brown Blush in Nude Peach

My all time favourite blush, I talk about this all the time so I'm not going to go into it too much. I just love how it's the perfect balance between peach and nude, matte and shimmer, and sheer and pigmented. 

MAC Cremeblend Blush in Something Special

I've been getting back into this amazing blush in the cooler months and because my skin has been clearing up. Cream blushes weren't usually my best friend because of my combination-oily complexion and blemished complexion. But as my skin produces less oil in the cooler months, I like to wear this blush when my skin is on the clearer side. It's a really pretty colour, a little more peachy than the Bobbi Brown blush but still very natural and it's easy to use. I just apply it with my fingers and then blend it out in a dabbing motion with my beauty blender and wah la! Natural cheeky flush!

MAC Cream Colour Base in Hush

Still my favourite highlighter, love how natural it is! However, I am in the market for a cream highlighter because I want more oil control. So do you guys have any recommendations for a powder highlighter that gives a natural glow, I don't wanna be a disco ball haha. 

Benefit Hoola Bronzer

Still my favourite Bronzer as well, I love it!

Lucas' Paw Paw Ointment

This is a topical product that I like to put on my skin before/after makeup. I usually dab a bit on dry patches before I put on my makeup and after on any dry patches I missed that were accentuated by the makeup. 

Urban Decay DeSlick Makeup Setting Spray

I've been using this as a setting spray instead of MAC's Fix+ and it has helped my makeup last so much longer. I spritz this before and after I do my face makeup, however, if I want more oil control, I instead spray it before I apply my makeup and after I've applied all my cream/liquid products and then I apply my powder products over it. 

Eyes

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Still a fantastic eye primer, I've been using this for ages!

Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base

I started using this eye primer at the start of the year. I quite like it but I'm still not sure if it beats UDPP. 

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow in Cement

One of my must have products, such a fantastic eyeshadow base for evening out the skin tone and it's also fantastic on its own. I usually wear this to school on its own because it's the perfect shadow for my skintone so that it doesn't look like I'm wearing eyeshadow but my eyes are brightened. Great for a no makeup makeup look. 

MAC Paint Poit in Bare Study

Another one of my must have eye products. Probably my favourite champagne toned cream shadow. I've tried a few and every time I come back to this one. The colour and formula is just fantastic. Unfortunately, the staying power isn't effective enough for my super oily eyelids so I still need to wear a primer underneath as I have to with every cream shadow. 

MAC Eyeshadow Quad - Naked Lunch, All That Glitters, Satin Taupe, Quarry

Even though I have quite a few fantastic neutral palettes, I always come back to this quad for my weekend eyeshadow looks (I don't wear much eyeshadow to school). Naked Lunch is a great classic champagne colour that looks amazing on the eyelids. I usually pair it with Quarry, which is a gorgeous matte neutral purple that adds a subtle purple to the eyes, or Wedge for subtle definition which I will mention down below. All That Glitters is a really nice warmer champagne shade, an 'almost' gold colour, kind of haha. I wear this more often in the evening with Satin Taupe, which is a beautiful taupe colour. Often I like to wear satin taupe on it's own all over the lid for a simple and soft smoky look. 

MAC Eyeshadows - Wedge, Brule

Wedge is my favourite 'blending' colour. It's one of those basic light brown matte shades. If I ever have a more dramatic look that needs to be muted, I blend with this shade to tone down all the frostiness. I also love this as subtle definition for Naked Lunch when I'm going for a really natural look. Brule is my all time favourite highlight colour. It's really velvety and pigmented, and it's a satin finish, so there's not shimmer but it has a sheen so it's not completely flat. I usually pair this with every eye look and for school I just sweep a bit under my brow with my finger for added brightness. 

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette - Blackout

I've never really loved how my eyes looked with black liner because it just seemed so dark. I love really natural makeup so black liner has always felt over the top for me, especially with my dark eyes, brows, lashes and glasses, it just seemed too much in my opinion. And then I found this great technique for applying powder as a liner from a video gossmakeupartist did on dailymixtv on YouTube. The technique is just to push the eyeshadow into your lash line with an angled eyeliner brush, which I find super fast and easier than applying powder eyeshadow with a gel liner 'dragging' technique. The look is really soft but still adds definition and an ever so slight sultry tone from the softness. I personally haven't used the two Naked palettes THAT MUCH except for the two formals this year, but that isn't saying the two palettes aren't great, as a whole I just haven't really used them that much this year so far. 

Too Faced Natural Eye Collection Palette - Sexpresso 

After that eyeshadow eyeliner technique discovery, I wanted to try it for a more neutral brown as well. I used this shade with the same technique and I love it for daytime. Again, it's really soft but gives added definition to your eyes and makes your lashes look a little thicker without undermining them. And again, is really quick and easy to do and I've been wearing this eyeshadow as eyeliner so much!

Urban Decay 24/7 Gilde On Eye Pencil in Demolition

I'd also been getting into pencil liner for most of this half year and I've been loving it. This is a fantastic brown colour that is really easy to apply. If I want a more natural look, I usually do a really thin rough line and then I smudge it out a bit with a cotton tip. The formulation of these are fantastic. I did also start tight lining with this and it generally stays on pretty well and creates a natural look. But I'm still a little iffy when tight lining so I've been leaning more to the eyeshadow eyeliner technique recently. 

Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel

I've been seriously slacking on my brows and I really don't care hahaha. I actually really like the natural, a bit messy & thick brow look. And I know this is terrible in the beauty world, but to people who don't care much about the beauty side of things (my parents, guy friends) it looks so much better and more natural. Every time I've filled in my brows, it felt like the face was too made up and I didn't like that. When it comes to makeup, I wanna just be me and hence, why I like natural makeup. I actually feel more uncomfortable with a cake face of makeup. So to the point of this product, if I'm going to some special event, I've just used this to ever so slightly shape my unruly brows a little better. 

Covergirl Clump Crusher Mascara by LashBlast in Black Brown

OH MY GOSH I LOVE THIS MASCARA! I've only used this mascara all year so far, what a shocker for me hahaha! It fixed the one issue I had with the original Lash Blast Volume (my previous favourite mascara) which was clumping. It still gives pretty good lengthening and volume (I wouldn't say as crazy as other mascaras I've seen) but it still DOESN'T SMUDGE on me and can look natural or a little more dramatic. And it's funny because as soon as it starts smudging often I know that it's time to throw it out. I'd say the tube lasted about 4-5 months. It couldn't push the 6 months mark cuz it was just smudging every time so I bought a new one and it's smudgeproof once again! Yay! This is now my all time mascara and I'm hoping to get the waterproof one when I go to America, simply because whenever I cry, I just happen to be wearing mascara. 

Lips

Nuxe Reve de Miel Honey Lip Balm

This is probably, other than burt's bees simply because it's a more practical packaging, my favourite lip balm. My best friend got it for my birthday when she went to France at the start of the year and I absolutely love it. It's an incredibly luxurious formulation and lasts so long on the lips. It has a great finish that is mostly matte but feels very velvety. Just simply fantastic. The only down size is a not very portable pot packaging however, I don't think the formula would be as good if it was in a stick form. 

Lush Honey Trap Lip Balm

Another fantastic lip balm that definitely does rival the former, but has a creamier finish and doesn't last as long, but it still lasts so much longer than most lip balms. Also, it smells absolutely amazing, just like white chocolate, honey and a bit of mint. 

Burt's Bees Honey Lip Balm

I've been trying some more of the Burt's Bees lip balms, such as the nourishing mango and replenishing pomegranate ones which I love too, but my favourite of the year so far would be this one. This one has a bit more sheen than the original beeswax one but isn't as glossy as the other two mentioned. Just a generally great great lip balm and I prefer this scent of the original minty scent which is often overwhelming in my opinion. 

Nivea Repair & Protection SPF 20 Lip Balm

This is the lip balm that I usually use on going out in the day because it has SPF, especially in the warmer months or on days when the UV is quite high. Generally not bad lip balm and it's one that I've always repurchased. 

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus

Okay now moving into the coloured lip products. Still, my all time favourite lip product without question. Not going to talk about it too much because I've mentioned this a lot before. It's just a fantastic formulation, great finish and natural colour and easy to apply without a mirror. 

Maybelline Pink Glow Mixed Berry Lip Balm in Pink Blast

This is one of those lip balms that appear clear but change to give a kind of bright colour based on each person's unique lip chemistry. It gives a really nice natural medium fuchsia pink. The only downside is Maybelline lip balms have a really watery consistency and they don't wear off very nicely, but I love this for a fuss-free tint of colour. 

Revlon Lip Butter in Sweet Tart

I've been getting into more natural fuchsia lip colours and this one is really nice. I usually apply it really lightly because I think it's too dramatic when it's at thick application. It also leaves a hint of a stain that is quite natural. 

So they're my mid year makeup favourites. It's quite a lot for you guys to read hahaha. I'm currently on mid year school holidays which is why I'm posting this and because I've been missing this. Anyway, hope you guys liked this post and have a nice day!

March Randomo Favourites

Hey y'all! So this does not guarantee that I'm coming back because I have a busy term ahead of me, but I thought I might post something for you guys. I kind of wanted to film this as a video because I think it would be more fun however, I'm trying to lay low for a bit, and this is easier haha.

Also I feel that it has not become customary with beauty gurus at the start of every favourites video to say the speed that they feel the month went by. Now I know this isn't a beauty/fashion favourites video but I might as well say my perception of the month speed. March went by pretty slowly for me because I had a lot of SACs (School Assessed Coursework) so I was quite busy and there was a bunch of intense studying sessions, however the Boys' Formal at the end of the month was actually a nice end to the month.

Music
So March has been a super shuffle month for me! Now super shuffle is a term I use when there isn't a specific playlist or album I've been listening to so I just end up shuffling all the music on my iPhone and it makes me feel very nostalgic and listen to a bunch of songs I've loved over the time. Of course I'll skip songs that I don't feel like listening but it's really nice to listen to a bunch of varied songs I know I've always loved but may have slightly neglected.

I also loved Macy Maloy (even though I always love her music) because she pre-released acoustic versions on her Youtube channel of some new songs on her EP 'Heartback' that came out a day ago, but I spent March learning the new songs and playing them over and over and I did covers of the new songs on my soundcloud in celebration of her EP release. Now I know I already have her EP however if I do April Randomo Favourites, it will definitely be mentioned (along with Max Schneider and his awesome band, little cheeky sneak peak guys!).

TV Shows
SUITS SUITS EVERYWHERE! It has been a Suits crazy month for me and I watched through both seasons already. I love quite a bunch of USA Network shows and this month I found out two mates of mine love Suits and since I love White Collar we decided to 'swap shows', so I agreed to watch Suits and they agreed to watch White Collar. And now the three of us are always discussing who's classier, Neal Caffrey or Harvey Specter? I think in the end for me it's Harvey Specter, however, whenever Neal is on screen, he is still nonetheless an explosion of class, whether he's in a suit, his pjs or a black turtleneck sweater when he's about to rob a museum. On the other hand, I think I still slightly prefer White Collar over Suits though because White Collar is more of a show about arts and history and 'international intrigue' where as Suits is more hard and fast corporate law.

I've also been re-watching Full House seasons 2 & 3 because I felt like watching some of the earlier seasons. My top two favourite shows are Friends and Full House and I'm always re-watching one or the other on the side, so I guess I might mention to you guys each month which one I watched that month and which season(s), if you guys are curious.

Movie
A movie that really 'moved' me this month was The Help. I can't believe I didn't watch this movie earlier. So I watched it because it was an extension movie viewing for English and I thought 'Emma Stone, always wanted to watch it so why not?'. Oh wow boy was that an incredible movie. As someone who grew up in Australia, I was not quite informed about American history and it actually really shocked me how the minorities were treated, it just made me speechless. Now I know Australia does have history with a similar but smaller scale problem which is also shameful. The issue is quite personal for me, not because I'm African-American but because I am of a non-white race and racism is more of a personal issue, now I'm not saying we should have a pity party for me because there is no way what I've experienced is a fraction as severe as historical occurrences but it's still something that I'm strongly against and I really recommend this movie to at least give you some perspective. Knowledge is power people.

Book
Now I don't have a wider reading book to tell you guys about because I didn't do much wider reading in March however, I was very 'moved' (again) by the play I'm currently studying in school called Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose. It is an absolutely amazing play and probably one of my favourites, it just has many resonating and striking messages to the audience that are all very important to society. It touches so well on a multitude of complicated issues and is thematically and theatrically very dense and impressive. I really recommend this play again for some perspective at least, it isn't a long play, it's less than 100 pages, or you could even watch the 60s play that's on YouTube or download the audiobook on Audible.com that actually has Jeffrey Donovan (Michael Westen from Burn Notice) who reads for Juror 8, but nonetheless, experience the play because it is brilliant!

Food
For food shtuff, I've been really liking the Macro Original Potato Chips that are organic and gluten free so that's always nice, but I just think they taste very good, they're super crispy and some of the chips are actually HUUUUGGEE! And I just think they're super yum!

Also, with the weather slightly getting cooler, I pulled out my French Earl Grey Tea from T2. This is one of my favourite teas and I just started drinking it more, yeah that's about it haha.

People
So this month I've been watching a lot more beauty videos and starting to catch up on old videos that I've added to my 'watch later' playlist so there hasn't really been one specific YouTuber that I've been singularly obsessed with however, I've been watching a lot more essiebutton. I've always loved her blog and videos and I love her personality, sometimes I feel that if I knew her in real life, we would be best friends. She's just the best.

And then in real life, shout out to my two mates Calvin and James who are guys who love Suits as mentioned before in the TV Show category.

App
My favourite app of the month was Dropbox. Now I've had Dropbox for a while so it's nothing really new for me however, in March I just seemed to embrace it a lot more and use it for transferring files/work from my iPad to my Mac and vice versa so that was quite a handy techy thang.

Events
My event favourite for this month was definitely the Year 12 Boys' Formal and I'm thankful that I was invited to go. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the 1st term.

I've also been really loving rehearsals for the School Musical. I was lucky enough to get a role as one of the three backing singers for the main character's songs as well as getting a couple small solos of my own on one of the songs. This is really exciting for me because I've never actually sang solo before, or even been on an individual microphone before so I'm really thankful that the casting teachers actually thought I was good enough. The rehearsals have been really fun and exciting for me because I'm still an ensemble/chorus member so I get to sing and dance in the big group numbers. Musicals are actually a love of mine and I use to want to be on Broadway because I just find performing so much fun!

Well yeah, those were my March Randomo Favourites, I hope you guys liked it despite it being quite word heavy and rambly, not uncommon with me haha. I can't guarantee any more posts soon however, I did miss blogging while I was on hiatus so this has been nice. Love you guys and I will hopefully talk to you guys later!

May Favourites

May favourites time! Woooo!

Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner

I've never really been a big fan of liquid liner, I've always felt that it never looked the way I wanted to, but this month I thought I'd give it a few extra chances and I fell in love. I think liquid liner gives a really bold and 'let's get down to business' look but also is very classic and timeless. I think it just really pulls together a look. 

Sephora 110 Foundation Brush (left)

I've always loved this foundation brush, it's not scratchy unlike the Sigma paddle shape foundation brush, but this month I've been really loving using this to apply my BB Cream. When I use this my face doesn't get dry in certain places by the end of the day and gives more coverage. 

Sigma F84 Angled Top Kabuki Brush (right)

I've always loved this foundation brush too, but this month I've really been loving using this to apply my Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation. It gives that same effects as I mentioned above. 

Lucas' Papaw Ointment

I've always used this to remove little eye makeup mistakes but I've realised that it's also really helpful for my little dry patches that pop up after I put on makeup. You can also use this as a highlighter to add a subtle natural glow 

Sigma Blending E25 Brush

I've noticed in pixi2woo's tutorials, that she often not only uses this brush for eye makeup, but also for blending concealer. I love it cuz the concealer blends so flawlessly, I use it with the Maybelline Fit Me concealer around the nose where I have redness. 

Artiste Professional Manicare Pointed Eyeliner Brush

After also watching Lisa Eldridge's tutorials, she often uses a pointed eyeliner brush to apply concealer precisely on imperfections, so I've been really loving doing that.

Clarisonic Delicate Brush Head

It was time for me to change my brush head and they ran out of the sensitive brush head so I ended up buying this one. Turns out this brush head is actually more suited for acne prone skin, so it's more suitable for me. But about a week after I bought this I saw an ad in Teen Vogue for the new Clarisonic Brush Head that is for just acne prone skin, so I think I'll try that out when I have to change brush heads again or something. 

Lush Aqua Mirabilis Body Butter

I ran out of my body scrub so I wanted to try a body butter from Lush because I thought the idea was really interesting. I absolutely love this body butter and I think I'm going to keep purchasing it when I'm finished. I love the nutty smell and my favourite part is that it doesn't leave an oily residue. It just really annoys me after I've used a scrub and I get out of the shower and my skin feels kinda slippery and that just makes me feel like I'm not fully clean, it's kinda weird. 

Kit Cosmetics Body Wash in Fresh Pear, Crisp Apple & Vanilla

I bought this a while ago and I only got round to using this this month. It's just like a basic shower gel but I really love the smell. It's a very fresh smell and makes me feel clean. The only downside is that the smell isn't very predominant and fades after a while, I wish it would last a little more post shower.

Maybelline Lasting Drama Eye Studio Gel Liner in Eggplant Aubergine

I've been really loving using this liner because it's fun but is also more natural than black liner as it's a softer look. But I don't think it's as creamy as other gel liners although I still use it because I just love the colour so much! 

Gap Legging Jeans

I've been absolutely obsessed with these legging jeans. They are just so incredibly comfortable but at the same time they are really flattering on me. 

Country Road Sweater

This sweater/jumper has been my go to sweater this month, I've just been wearing it so much! I love the mixing of the textures. The front is wool but the arms and back are cotton, so it's not really itchy. It's also sooooo warm!

Gap Flats

These are probably the most comfortable flats I own, I love em! I've just been loving Gap and I went to Gap for the first time this month. 

My Sweater Drawer!

I've been pulling this drawer out soooo much this month, especially as the weather gets colder. Sweaters/Jumpers are just so amazing because they're really warm and comfortable but can pull an outfit together really easily. 

My iPad!

Absolutely obsessed with this! I use to be the biggest iPad skeptic because I thought "what does the iPad do that a computer/iPhone doesn't do?" The reason I really love the iPad is because it's looks so much better to surf the web on a bigger screen than an iPhone but it's much more portable than a laptop! I love taking this to lectures because it's soooooo light!

A blue throw!

Sorry I don't remember where I got this throw, I have so many throws but this is just the one that I've had over my quilt on my bed because it's just been getting sooooo cold!

I'm also going to do May Wants this month because they've been quite a few things that I've really been wanting so I'll put that post up really soon!

August Favourites

August just finished, no more winter which is good and bad, it's sad because no more skiing :( but Spring and warm weather is just round the corner. (:

Okie dokes, let's just get into it.

1.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF 20 Oil Free in Sand - This tinted moisturiser is stunning, it's the best tinted moisturiser I have ever tried, and it has a really good coverage for tinted moisturiser. It's fantastic and feels very light and I wear it everyday to school.

2. 

MAC Something Special Creamblend Blush - I received this in a giveaway from daydream amy for her 100 follower giveaway, she is one of my favourite bloggers and I think her blog is just amazing! Anyway, this blush really is awesome, I like the colour more than my MAC Ladyblush, it's a little more orange toned which I prefer for my skin tone, I always wear it with my NYX blush in Peach which makes my perfect blush colour, I love it any wear this combo everyday to school.

3.

Inglot Loose Translucent Powder in 211 - I've been using this with a blending brush to set my under eye and prevent my mascara/eyeliner for smudging. I learnt this awesome tip from makeuptips- tumblr. 

4.

Benefit Erase Paste Concealer in Medium No.2 - I have mentioned this concealer, before but this is just showing that I always come back to this concealer. It's just so great for under the eyes and conceals great!

5.
Tony Moly Gel Liner in Brown - This eyeliner was also in the prizes from daydreamamy's giveaway and I love it as well. She claims that it is better than the Bobbi Brown gel liners which I was thinking of getting. This gel liner is super creamy but doesn't smudge and stays on really well, I am in love with it.


6. 
Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel - I've started fixing my eyebrows this month. I haven't yet been brave enough to wax the bajillion of strays that I have on my eyebrows (reason why I don't tweeze) but I have trimmed them, and I set them with this. This is a really cheap brow setting gel (the Maybelline Great Lash Clear mascara is really hard to find in Australia) and it works great!


7. MAC ES Satin Taupe - I bought this eyeshadow back when I went to Australia, but despite all the hype, I never really hopped on the bandwagon. But I found a tutorial on YouTube by aleexandraaxo and I love the way that she uses this eyeshadow. I use to think I could just use it as a crease colour, but I always had other alternatives that I prefer, but I never thought of using the eyeshadow in this way. I also used it in a recent evening eye look tutorial. 


8.
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in Black Brown - I LOOOVE this mascara, I always use it on my bottom lashes or tinsy lashes on my upper lashes, and it's smudgeproof!


9. Prestige Eyebrow Definer in Black Brown - This is the first ever eyebrow pencil I have ever bought, it was recommended by makeuptips- again, and I love this! I feather it on my eyebrows for a really natural defined look.

10.
Nail Kit - I was gifted this by my family friends in Sydney (I live in Melbourne) and when I first got it, I was younger and I didn't really know what to do with it. But now a lot of the things in this are super handy, and it's all in one cute butterfly mini 'folder'. It comes with nail clippers, eyebrow scissors (which came in handy when I started neatening up my eyebrows!), tweezers, some funny shaped mini spoons LOL and a nail file. 

11 & 12. 
Stila Lip Glaze in Apricot & Grapefruit - I've been loving one of these lipglosses with the next lipstick, it's a really cute natural look, and I like it more than my old Revlon Color Burst combo, but I can never pick between these two lipglosses, and they smell AMAZING!


13.
Maybelline Pure Shine Lipstick in P12 - I got this in Hong Kong and I haven't seen it in Australia, but it is the most gorgeous angel pink! 


14. 
Clinique Superbalm Moisturising Gloss in Raspberry - This was definitely a surprise love, because my other Clinique lipgloss but it's a different type and it's super sticky, but this one is amazing, and is not sticky, and the colour works great with the next product.


15.
FlourishBathBody Glossy Lip Tint in Azalea - I have shown this before but I just love this combo! This is the combo that I always keep in my bag, because I always accidentally forget to put on or don't have time to put on lip products. This combo is just a really nice and flattering colour for my lip and skin colour and I LOOOOOVE it!

16 & 17.

Botanical Creations Waterless Hand Cleanser in Vanilla Brown Sugar and Pink Grapefruit - If you're from America, then you probably know that everyone has Bath & Body Works scented hand sanitisers, and I want them so much, but unfortunately we do not have them in Australia, but recently Priceline released scented hand sanitisers, and I've been using them all the time, and today I just also bought the Peach one. 

18.

Sugar Baby Pink Grapefruit Fragrance de Luxe - This perfume oil is awesome, and as you know, I looove the smell and taste of Grapefruit, so this is just awesome smelling haha. 

19. 

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Daily Face Sunscreen Lotion SPF30+ Oil Free - I finally found an Oil-Free face sunscreen with high SPF.

20. 

Kit Design Award Pomegranate & Pink Grapefruit Lotion - I voted in the designs for the new release of the Kit lotion so I received a free sample. I loooove this lotion! It feel's really light and non greasy but it is so moisturising, and it smells fantastic! Pomegranate and Pink Grapefruit are my two all time favourite fruit smelling scents, which is such a coincidence. 

Wow, 20 favourites, what a coincidence.

Other:

• Pottermore! Just saying that I got early entry (: I'm in Ravenclaw WOOT, I freaked out when I got into Ravenclaw and my family thought I was weird, haha. Add me, I'm PhoenixNight176 (:
• The Cat Empire album - The Cat Empire
• John Mayer, I've always loved this musician but I'm back to loving them more!
• One Republic album - Waking Up
• My Amazon Kindle! YAYAY! I'm cheating because I got this in early September, but I just have to mention it. 

I guess that's it. (:

Also I might be doing a What's In My Bag post, because I found my perfect bag. But I'm thinking of doing it in video form but I'm not sure, what do you think?

What are your August favourites?

And what do you think of the new Blogger layout?

July Favourites

I know everyone says that the month speeds past them but this month has been quite slow. Most of this month has been holidays and everyone coincidentally was busy whenever anyone tried to organise anything so my holidays mostly consisted of going to my parents' work and working or doing homework. 
Although my highlight would have to be skiing, I went up to the slopes twice these holidays and I'm going up again in a couple of weeks. No feeling can compare to how I feel when I'm skiing, I'm free of worries and I feel like I'm feeling, it's like a dream. 
Now into the shtuff.

Burt's Bees Anti Blemish Solutions Daily Cleanser - Sadly my skin has become immune to the Clinique Anti Blemish Solutions cleanser which I recently finished, and I wanted to try this anyway. It works great! Does the job, pretty well. But I still often switch to the Clinique one too, so I don't get immune to this one too. 
Body Shop Tea Tree Oil - I have tried spot treatments before and they never seemed to work, they even made my pimples worse. But this does not in anyway make my pimples disappear in a day, nothing ever works like that, but it definitely speeds up the time for the pimple to leave my face, and it worked on a pimple that was coming through right in the smack bang middle of my face, so I just applied some tea tree oil to the area with a cotton tip twice a day after cleansing and after about a week, the pimple disappeared, and it didn't even get inflamed which is good. 
Head & Shoulders' Smooth & Silky Shampoo & Conditioner - The Lush shampoo, makes my hair look amazing but doesn't help with my dandruff problem. I tried a salon recommended product for a couple weeks and it didn't make a difference, I decided to go back to the classic anti-dandruff consumer product. My hair isn't as shiny as before, but at least it's not as itchy. 
Soap & Glory Hair Supply - I've been using this as a conditioner when I use the lush shampoo, just for some added shine. And it smells great. 
Soap & Glory Flake Away - This scrub again has the signature Soap & Glory scent, therefore it smells great and it also makes my skin sooooo smooth and soft.
Terry White Chemist's Sorbolene Cream - Being winter time, my skin gets drier, so this just helps with those annoying little rashes or dry patches.
Imperial Leather Foamburst in Moisture Delight - I actually got this for free in January at the Australian Open but I didn't think it was that great. Now I've come back to it and I love it. When it comes out of the can it is a gel consistency but it foams up when you massage it into your skin, super cool concept.

NYX Blush in Peach - One of my first ever NYX products and I'm quite happy. It's a really pretty natural colour and has become one of my go-to blushes. It also has good colour payoff and I like to use it with this brush:
Sigma Large Angled Contour F40 - I like this brush to apply blush. Full stop. 
Covergirl Natureluxe Foundation in 325 Sandstone - This finally was released in Australia, I am quite impressed, it is a good low end duplicate for the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua. Although it can be a little greasy, so maybe steer clear of this if you have pretty oily skin, I try to apply less of this to my t-zone. 

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel/Cream Liner for Brown Eyes - Wow, what a mouthful of a name. I have come back to loving these this month, the formula is great, it's nice and creamy and doesn't dry out too fast. I think I prefer the brown one over the black because it's more natural, but I just have to note that the black eyeliner, actually has purple shimmer in it which is awesome! It's very subtle though and just brings out the eye colour. The other eye colours have corresponding shimmer too. The brown also has some gold shimmer in it, which you can see in the picture below.
MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Gilded White from the Surf Baby Collection - This is just a really pretty off white champagne colour that I like to use on my waterline to open up my eyes. It is supposed to be waterproof but I don't think it stays on my waterline that long, but it still has better staying power than the Rimmel white eyeliner. 

Ecotools Eye shader brush - This is one of my first Ecotools brushes and I'm quite impressed, it applies product really well and is really dense. 
MAC Fix+ - I don't know if this helps to keep my makeup on for longer, but it's nice and refreshing haha.

I have nail polish favourites this month because it has been the holidays so I am allowed to wear nail polish. 
Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Top Coat - This top coat is awesome! It dries in 30 seconds and does prevent chipping.
Essie Buy Me A Cameo - A gorgeous nude nail polish, like the MAC Naked Lunch eyeshadow of nail polishes.
Essie Mint Candy Apple - A gorgeous mint colour.
OPI Mermaid's Tears from the Pirates of the Caribbean collection - This is probably one of my favourite nail polish colours. It is a gorgeous mint sea foam green.
OPI Teal The Cows Come Home - I love this fun blue on my toenails. 
OPI Teenage Dream from the Katy Perry Collection - So fun to put on my ring finger.
Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Strips - I don't have a picture but they stay on really well and don't really chip. 
Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream - Sorry I forgot to take a picture of this, but it really moisturises my cuticles, it's great!
Other:
Harry Potter, I admit, I'm a Potterhead. And gotta love Tom Felton, one of the most humble celebrities I know.
Surviving High School and Jet Set Go, two fun iPhone apps. Haha. 
Skiing, again, nothing like the feeling when skiing.
Mike Tompkins, this guy does music covers and every single sound in the song is made by his mouth, pretty cool.
Tom Felton, actually use to make music, and it's pretty damn awesome. 
All The Wrong Places - Tyler Ward ft Eppic (youtube)
Party Rock Anthem (rock version) (cover) - Tyler Ward (youtube)

June Favourites

I probably shouldn’t even both with a June Favourites if we’re already halfway through July, but I had to because I had discovered soooo many new products that are fantastic and I want to show them to you.

Face:

Evian Facial Spray – I’ve loved this as a finishing spray, I don’t think this is made as a setting spray, but it’s really good for finishing, if that makes sense. It makes your makeup look more natural and just working together to look good. I think this would be better in summer because it’s really refreshing and makes you look quite fresh.

Benefit Sugarbomb – This is a super pretty shimmery blush and creates a really natural colour, warning that it is super shimmery.

NARS Orgasm blush – I have talked about this before but I’ve gotten back into it June, it’s just such a stunning everyday colour, although I do prefer it throughout the summer.

Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse in Nude – I really like this foundation, it gives good coverage and doesn’t feel too heavy. I love the texture, it feels soooo airy, like mousse that has been sitting out at room temperature and is about to be served.

April Favourites

March Favourites

Let's try and go through this quickly:

• Too Faced Natural Eye Collection - Velvet Revolver and Heaven
• Rimmel Extreme Definition Two Tone Eye definer in London Girl, fantastic natural eye brightener and colour on waterline, especially the light green
• Sportsgirl Colour Me In Eyeshadow Pencil in Goddess (white side)

Favourite fragrances

From left to right, back to front:

• Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies limited edition Music - light musk, unique, a bit romantic
• Flourish Perfume Oil in Cedar + Mint - woodsy, really nice herbal medicine smell, light mint
• Flourish Perfume Oil in Pineapple Lemongrass - super tropical, pineapple, citrus, coconut
• Marc Jacobs Daisy - sophisticated, classy, light floral
• Body Shop Dreams Unlimited - fruity and floral, smells like DKNY Be Delicious but a tad more floral
• Body Shop Vanilla Body Mist - vanilla, a bit edgy
• Body Shop Love Etc Solid Perfume - flirty, romantic
• DKNY Be Delicious Green - fruity, sweet, apple-like
  

January faves & most used: LIPS

Time for January faves & most used for lips. All these photos are mine except for the lip smackers picture.

Nars lipgloss in Sweet Revenge
Many people on YouTube have raved about Nars lipglosses and honestly, I LOOOOOVE them! They are of a nice jelly consistency and not sticky at all. This shade doesn't have shine, which I like, but if you do like shine, Nars do have other lipglosses with shine, such as Orgasm, which is based on the Orgasm blush.
I just love this lipgloss SOOOOO much, I have actually tried other high end lipglosses such as Guerlain and Napoleon Perdis, but they were either super sticky or had a weird bead consistency which I didn't like, but this is just amazing.
And this shade is the same as my natural lip colour.

January faves & most used: EYES

Now for eyes; I have quite a lot of eye products because some I used when I was practising and stuff and just trying out, so some I liked but I don't always use because I don't really use that type of product that much, but more about each thing when I get up to it.

Too Faced Natural Eye
I love this eye shadow palette TONS, I used it recently in a neutral eye tutorial.
I feel like it's packaging is a little thicker than it should be, but other than that I love this.
Obviously this isn't as versatile as the Urban Decay Naked palette but I don't have that and you can't buy it in Melbourne.
My favourite shades are silk teddy, push up and heaven, which were the three in the tutorial. I also like honey pot, which is a classic silky gold and sexpresso, which is quite similar to MAC's satin taupe.

January faves & most used: FACE

So I'm making my January favourites also most used because I don't have a HUGE amount of makeup, so some of the stuff I just use because I don't have any others or I am awaiting them in the mail. (:
Also I will be separating posts into different parts, and the first part is face. Next will be eyes, lips & brushes and tools. I won't do perfumes, nail polishes and skin products because I'm going to do a top 5 nail polishes, perfumes and skin regime.
All the pictures are my own except for the first one because I didn't have time to take a picture and then put it on my computer, yeah. Because I actually wanted to put the first part up before the end of January. And let's just get into the gist:

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark
This is the picture that isn't mine.
I love this SOOOOOO much! I use it as a setting powder over my liquid foundation, and I just love it.
Funny story, before I went to MAC, I decided to do some makeup research and try and find the shade closest to mine, so I was on the website and I thought I had found the right shade. But when I got in the store, it was dark enough to be a bronzer. Hahaha, how stupid of