Review | The Body Shop Matte Lip Liquid

The Body Shop's Matte Lip Liquid claims to be long lasting with a creamy matte velvet finish that sets with an intense and rich colour pay off. They are 100% vegetarian, don't contain carmine or gluten and are of course cruelty-free.

I have two shades from their collection, 'Nairobi Camellia' and 'Crete Carnation'. 'Nairobi Camellia' is  a neutral dusty pink colour and 'Crete Carnation' is a pinky nude. Compared to 'Nairobi Camellia' 'Crete Carnation' is more pale and a nude whereas 'Nairobi Camellia' is a deeper shade and has more of a berry mauve tone to it. I adore both of these shades and I was really pleased with the range of shades they offered. I am very subtle with my lip colours but I still managed to find two wearable shades in their collection. I often look at the type of products but can't find a shade pale enough or neutral enough...like Huda Beauty for example. I have heard amazing things about their liquid matte lipsticks. But when I swatch them they all seem to bold for me. 

Okay let's get back on track here...the applicator is the typical doe foot applicator. The formula is quite dry when you pull the applicator out of the tube and I often find that not enough product is on the applicator. I always have to dip the applicator back in. Nonetheless the product itself applies the product nicely onto your lips. It feels lightweight and does set but not immediately. Once set your lips still feel lightweight and you can honestly forget that you have anything on your lips. They are very comfortable to wear and don't accentuate your dry lips. Neither do they dry your lips out. 

These last for a minimum of two hours. I find that after 2 hours and 40 minutes I want to do something to with 'Nairobi Camellia'. As it is a bolder colour it is more noticeable when it starts to fade. It fades evenly and you don't end up with a weird outline of your lips. 'Crete Carnation' lasts easily for three hours. I think as this is closer to my natural lip colour it is less noticeable when it starts to wear. 

These retail for $14.00 and overall I really love these matte liquid lipsticks. They are definitely some of the best I have ever tried. 

Star of the week: The Chemistry Brand Hand Chemistry

The Chemistry Brand is one of the brands under the Deceim umbrella and they are now stocked in Myer - yay! Hand Chemistry - pro-repair skincare for hands is one of the best hand creams I have ever used!!!

What the box says...

"Concentrated multi-functional hand cream targets 8 signs of hand aging simultaneously. The extraordinary 19.5% active complex concentration visibly improves firmness, elasticity, density, evenness, brightness, texture, smoothness and hydration...Expect visible results in 11 days."

What I say...

Hand Chemistry is a rich hand cream however it doesn't feel heavy and thick. It is quite lightweight and instantly makes your hands feel smooth and soft. The hand cream absorbs quickly into the hands and doesn't leave behind a yucky residue, so you can get back to whatever you were doing. It also has a gorgeous scent which I'm not sure how to describe. If I had to hazard a guess I would say it was fresh and floral.

Drugstore Showdown | Maybelline Mascaras

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

This is one of my all-time favourite mascaras and definitely my favourite mascara from Maybelline. It does a superb job of fanning out your lashes. It lengthens, separates and curls up really well. This mascara makes your lashes look gorgeous. It never smudges, clumps or flakes and it keeps your lashes up all day long. The wand on this mascara isn't your typical wand, it has two separate sections. The inner section of the wand helps get right into the roots of your lashes and the larger part is for fanning out the tips of your lashes. If you have never used mascara before it might not be the best wand to begin with, however its no big deal. Don't you hate it when your lashes end up pointing down at the end of the day?!

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara

The wand on this mascara is tiny! I swear some eyebrow product wands are larger than this. This mascara is a very basic mascara. It doesn't clump and it curl your lashes up and separates them. However, unlike the Lash Sensational Mascara it isn't a dramatic effect. For a basic mascara it's fine however the brush is too small for my personal preferences and Maybelline do other mascaras that do the same thing but better (e.g., The Falsies).

Maybelline The Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara

I picked this mascara after seeing my Mum use it and loving how it looked on her. This mascara gives a dramatic effect, volumising and lengthening your lashes. However, it isn't as dramatic as the Lash Sensational Mascara. Two cons of this mascara is that it can be clumpy and it transfers very easily during application to your eyelid.

Products I Regret Purchasing

Wet n Wild Walking on Eggshells Eyeshadow Trio

'Walking on Eggshells' is a trio from Wet n' Wild that was hyped up on Youtube and beauty blogs a couple of years ago. When I visited America last I was super excited to finally get my hands onto this trio. Sadly I have only reached for this trio three times and one of those times was when I was writing up this post. I wanted to check I had my facts right. The three shades in this trio are very shimmery and I find it impossible to make a look out of it. I personally feel that a matte crease is essential. I like the shades in this trio and individually they are pretty. Primer is essential with these shadows, however I find that is true for all shadows, even high-end ones. Overall the quality is fine, especially when you consider the price, but I just can't make a look out of trio that I love.

The Balm Nude'tude Eyeshadow Palette

I am so disappointed that this eyeshadow palette is included here. However, I honestly never reach for this palette and I'm always disappointed when I do try and use it. I have nothing against The Balm though! I think they're a great brand and their blushes are amazing!!! If you want a long lasting blush you should definitely check their blushes out. With or without primer the shadows don't apply very well, they don't last, they crease and with the colours included I struggle to make an eye look that I like. I've tried it both with my favourite eye primer (Too faced Shadow Insurance) and The Balm's own primer (Put a lid on it eyelid primer).

Maybelline Master Precise Curvy Liquid Eyeliner

I don't wear eyeliner often but I do like playing around with it and experimenting. My experiment with this one failed though. I just could not get a perfect look done on both eyes when using this. I'm not saying this is a bad product, it's just a product that I personally regret purchasing for me.

Bite Beauty Cafe/Pepper Lipstick Duo

I love Bite Beauty, their philosophy and they make beautiful lipsticks, However I really regret buying this mini duo. As the individual lipsticks are so small they snap easily and both ends of mine have been mushed together :-( I would never buy one of these lipstick duos again however I would buy their full-sized products. I like both of the shades included in this duo and would repurchase them.

Review | Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face Superscreen SPF 50

Regardless of if it is a freezing cold day, a scorching hot day or somewhere in the middle... we should always wear sunscreen. The say sunscreen is one of the bets anti-aging products you can use but we typically only start thinking about sunscreen when it is sunny and hot. Even when its cloudy and "meh" weather sunscreen should be applied. The Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face Superscreen with SPF50  has been my go-to SPF product for the past couple of months. It's a no-fuss product that I absolutely adore and will repurchase when my current tube empties.

This post has been sitting in my "drafts" folder for close to a week. I think it's because I want everybody to love this product as much as I do!

This sunscreen is skin-coloured but becomes invisible once applied, leaving no white cast. It feels really hydrating on the skin, absorbs quickly and leaves your skin feeling smooth. I find that this can be applied instead of or over moisturiser and used like a primer, as it provides a good base for make-up. It doesn't feel greasy and it doesn't leave any residue behind.

The packaging is great, a sleek black tube. The only thing that would improve the packaging would be if the lid flipped open instead of of the screw-off lid. There is no yucky sunscreen smell. It has no real scent, but smells nice at the same time.

Overall this is a luxurious feeling sunscreen that feels moisturising and works as a great base for make-up.

My Current Everyday Make-up Routine

I recently fell into a new everyday make-up routine. As a bonus, it was completely accidental - I was mucking around with a foundation that I could never get to look good on my skin and bingo I've got a new favourite look.

 After using Clinque's clarifying lotion and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Moisturiser I use the Base Magique primer from L'oreal. This is one of my favourite primers ever. It makes the foundation apply so nicely and last really well. It truly does make my make-up last longer.

I forgot to include the next product in the main picture - d'oh! But I absolutely adore the Mecca Cosmetica To Save Face SPF50+ Superscreen. You can use this instead of moisturiser and primer if you are in a hurry, however I often use it between my Kiehl's moisturiser and Base Magique primer. It doesn't smell like sunscreen, feels beautiful on the skin and it acts as a primer, making your make-up apply really nicely. It also protects you from the sun which we all know is very important.

The foundation I keep making reference to is Clinique's Beyond Perfecting Foundation. This is the most expensive foundation I have ever brought and I was initially very disappointed with it. However, now that I have incorporated it into this new routine, I quite like it. It's a great colour match, it has good coverage and lasting power. It might even be my favourite / holy grail foundation! Stay tuned...

Using Elf's Complexion Brush (recommended by Emilynoel83 on Youtube, and if you don't watch her channel you should go and pay a visit to to it) I use Australis' Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder on top of it all.

Finally, I use Benefit's Coralista blush. I was previously not a fan of this blush but I've been really pleased with it lately. It's funny how this new routine uses so many products that I previously didn't love and now I do. 

I obviously then go in with mascara and lipstick but that changes from day to day. I will say though that Max Factor's Clump Defy mascara is a great mascara if you prefer mascaras with a drier formula, its an extremely dry mascara. My all-time favourite mascara is the Lash Sensational mascara from Maybelline.

Essence colour & care 'I care for you' Review

Essence have a new line of nail polishes, in addition to their colour & go collection they now have a colour & care collection. The colour & care collection consists of 4 polishes and all are soft, creamy and pastel shades. 'I care for you' is a gorgeous pale pink polish.

The polishes from this collection are marketed as nail polishes that are made with natural ingredients and with strengthening properties.

The ingredients are:
BUTYL ACETATE, ETHYL ACETATE, NITROCELLULOSE, ISOSORBIDE DICAPRYLATE/CAPRATE, ADIPIC ACID/NEOPENTYL GLYCOL/TRIMELLITIC ANHYDRIDE COPOLYMER, ALCOHOL DENAT., STEARALKONIUM BENTONITE, STYRENE/ACRYLATES COPOLYMER, DIACETONE ALCOHOL, N-BUTYL ALCOHOL, TRIMETHYLPENTANEDIYL DIBENZOATE, BENZOPHENONE-1, PHOSPHORIC ACID, CI 19140 (YELLOW 5 LAKE), CI 77491 (IRON OXIDES), CI 77742 (MANGANESE VIOLET), CI 77891 (TITANIUM DIOXIDE). 

As you can see these nail polishes are 5-free, that is free from the 5 ingredients that should be avoided in nail polishes (dibutyl phthalate, toluene, camphor, formaldehyde and formaldehyde resin). 


The formula of this nail polish is really good, quite thin but easy to work with thanks to a lovely brush. The brush is flat and very wide, making it easy to coat your nails with minimal strokes. After two coats I felt like the polish was opaque however on a few nails I felt like I could do another coat. They were opaque but there was a very faint streak. Another coat solved this problem and in the future I can see myself stopping at 2 coats. The coats themselves dry quite quickly. 

I always wear base coat but for the first time in probably four years (yes seriously) I applied this with no base coat!!! The polish applied well onto my nails and didn't emphasise any random bumps on my nails. At work I am very very very tough on my nails, so please keep that in mind...on the third day I started developing a little bit of tip wear. There were no major  chips or anything. I was really pleased with this as it was with no base-coat or top-coat and, as I said, my job is out to murder polished nails.

Revlon Mascara Revolution Review: Ultra Volume + Super Length

Revlon recently launched five new mascaras as part of their "mascara revolution". The collection of mascaras have been designed to meet everybody's wishes and desires. They have the: Ultimate All in One, Dramatic Definition, Ultra Volume, Super Length and Volume + Length Magnified. For over two months I have been using the Super Length and the Ultra Volume mascaras.

I remember when I first pulled the wand out of the  Super Length tube I was disappointed as the wand is quite large. I don't have the best track record with large mascara wands however I was able to continue using the wand. Unlike other large mascara wands it didn't lead to me never using the mascara. I loved the Super Length mascara the first time I used it: it definitely made my lashes look longer, it didn't clump and separated my lashes nicely.

However, now that I have also been wearing the Ultra Volume mascara...I think I prefer the Ultra Volume mascara a tiny bit more. Both are good mascaras however the difference between them is not dramatic. For me, what gets the Ultra Volume mascara across the line ahead of the Super Length mascara is that it gives a more fluttery effect, whereas the Super Length mascara can sometimes look more spiky.

 Overall, neither of these mascaras are my holy grail mascara but both are really decent mascaras and if a friend said she was going to buy one of these, I wouldn't stop her. If you like larger mascara wands you will probably like both of these mascaras. I believe other mascaras in this new colletction have smaller mascara wands and I will definitely try those out because these mascaras were pretty good.

Top 4 Best Nail Polishes for Work

When you walk into a shop to buy nail polish you are faced with a billion choices. The bright colours are always eye-catching but not always work appropriate. 

For work, nudes and pale pinks are a safe option. I don't know if it is only me but I find it very hard to find a pale pink nail polish with a good formula - for me they are notoriously bad. If you do want a pale pink I would recommend 'Bare' from Sinful Colours. 'Bare' is a pale pink nude with micro-shimmer. For a full review on this polish click here.

The Maybelline Superstay Gel Nail Colour polish in 'Rose Poudre' could possibly be my favourite nail polish ever (I cannot believe I said that, pretty serious for somebody with 200+ polishes!). 'Rose Poudre' is a dusty pale pink. With two thin coats the polish dries quickly and looks stunning. Perfect for anybody and anywhere.

'All eyes on nudes' from Essie is a matte nail polish however I always put a glossy top coat over it. This is a great basic nude polish, there is no hint of pink here, it is a creamy beige. The formula isn't the best but the colour is great. If you have a little bit of patience when applying it and put a glossy top coat on it, it is a fabulous every day work polish.

'All tied up' from Essie is a stronger pink polish with shimmer. Out of all the polishes I've talked about here this one is definitely the least neutral. It's a darker dusty rosy pink with gold shimmer. Super pretty! For a full review of this polish, click here.

+Bonus Polish -Face of Australia Screen Siren Limited Edition 'Monroe' -  Okay so I didn't want to include this in the top 4 because it is no longer sold. But having said that, if anybody knows of a dupe please let me know! It's definitely one of my favourite ever polishes!!! The perfect nude with a slight pink undertone.

Beauty Products Not Hyped About Enough

Nyx Love in Paris 'Merci Beaucoup' Eyeshadow Palette

The 'Merci Beaucoup' palette from Nyx is one of my all time favourite eyeshadow products from the "drugstore". The main reason why I love this palette is the colour range. You can create a great basic look or by pulling in some of the beautiful pinks, you can also have a pop of colour. The one drawback of this palette is that it doesn't last all day. If you want these shadows to last longer than 4-5  hours you will need to use a primer. With a primer they last for ages.

Maybelline Master Hi-Light Blush in 'Pink Rose'

The Master Hi-Light blush from Maybelline in 'Pink Rose' is a gorgeous pink blush that will suit many people. The blush itself is quite illuminating however there are no visible chunky glitters which makes this blush foolproof. You can build up the pigmentation of the blush easily and the added glow it gives is gorgeous and natural.

Revlon Powder Blush on 'Melon-Drama' 

'Melon-drama'  from Revlon is a pinky peach powder blush. 'Melon-drama' gives my face a really good dose of healthy colour without looking over the top. The blush is very buildable pigmentation wise and lasts quite well.

Multi-task Real Techniques Brush

Every man and his dog raves about the Real Techniques brushes and there are genuine reasons why: they are great quality, last for years, don't shed and do a lovely job at getting the make-up where you want it! The Multi-task brush is my favourite make-up brush because it applies blush really well and can also be used for powder. I have had this brush for a minimum of 2 years and it still looks brand new, no shedding at all. The only negative thing I have to say about the multi-task brush is that it comes in a kit. I wish I had more than one of these brushes but I don't necessarily want to buy the whole kit everytime I want one of these. It comes in the Travel Essentials kit with a foundation brush and a domed shadow brush. Both of those brushes are great and the domed shadow brush is my favourite eye brush so if you want a couple of great basic brushes buy the kit.

Maybelline Colorshow Crayon Kohl Eyeliner in 'Black'

I'm not an eye-liner expert and I don't wear it every day so keep that in mind whilst I tell you why I love this eyeliner from Maybelline. As I said, I have zero eyeliner skills but because this eyeliner is quite dry and similar to your typical pencil I can get a decent line that is quite thin. Once applied it doesn't smudge or transfer and it lasts well. If you are wanting to do something more than a basic line, you might not love this one but if you are an eyeliner beginner, I highly recommend this. Talking about recommendations...leave a comment below if you want to tell me about an eyeliner you think I might love!

Need a new party dress?

Now that we have had the Christmas Party Season, Christmas and New Years Eve, I don't know about you but I am running out of nice dresses to wear!!! As soon as a new dress enters my rotation I tend to over-wear it, does anybody else do this?

If like me, you feel like if you don't get a new dress soon all the photos of you on Facebook will look identical, it might be time do some online shopping - yay!!! 

This gorgeous scuba dress from Boohoo has a super vibrant floral pattern and a bold black hem. Pair it with a black clutch and some chunky black wedges to tie the whole look together. Some purple nail polish would also look amazing, I'm thinking that 'Bold Sangria' from Revlon would be the perfect nail polish to wear with this dress, a deep purple. 

The link for the dress is here. Shipping from Boohoo was quick, the dress came neatly folded and clean and overall the quality of the dress is good, especially since it was a steal of a price! The material is quite thick so it isn't the most flattering dress in the world. However other dresses in this style tend to be super flattering when they are not in scuba material. 

If you are looking for something a little more casual, check out the awesome shift dresses that Boohoo currently have on their website for $30. A mono print here and a geo print here. 

The black patent leather clutch is the Black Molten Envelope from Mimco and the shoes were from Novo (approximately 2 years ago). Sidetone: the show are super comfy! 

*Dress provided by Boohoo for review purposes

Preparing for Summer with Cocoa Brown

With a couple more days until Summer officially begins in Australia it is the perfect time to start preparing for the warmer months. Not only will it mean that you can leave the house without a trillion layers - yippee - but for the first time in a long time skin will be shown.

Whether you gravitate towards dresses and skirts or shorts, it is important to make sure those legs are looking good. Cocoa Brown by Marissa Carter is a popular tanning brand in the UK. Not only do they have 1 hour self-tanner but they also have a range of skincare designed to keep your tan and skin looking the best. Begin preparing for summer with their Tough Stuff 3 in 1 Body Scrub* which is designed to remove the stubborn left-over tan you can't get rid off, exfoliates and prepares your skin for the new tan. This is a very dense exfoliator that feels quite tough. It spreads easily in the shower, lathers up to give you good coverage, and leaves your skin feeling fresh. I also love the fact that despite being a body exfoliator  it comes in a tube. Nice and simple! I've used exfoliators in tubs before and it is a nightmare. You can buy Tough Stuff for $15.95.

I adore the Chocolate Whip* which is a oil-free body moisturiser with Vitamin E & Panthenol. You can use this before you tan, as a normal everyday body moisturiser (even if you don't have a tan on) and to prolong your tan and help your tan to fade nice and evenly. It is very light-weight and sinks in super quickly which is fantastic! It feels instantly moisturising and this feeling lasts all day. A lot of body moisturisers are too thick, heavy and slow to absorb to use as a hand cream but not the Chocolate Whip! I adore using this as a hand cream because it literally sinks into your skin within seconds leaving no residue behind. A word of warning though...it doesn't smell like chocolate! Instead it smells like cocoa and gardenia, absolutely divine...just not like chocolate!

*Products provided for review. 100% honest opinions.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara Review

A couple of weeks ago I picked up a new Maybelline mascara, the 'Lash Sensational' Mascara in the pretty metallic pink tube. You've probably seen it...it's been everywhere lately. 

Let's begin by having a look at some of the things Maybelline claim about this mascara:

• It's their first patented fanning brush. 
• 10 layers of bristles to cover all your lashes.
• Gives you a full fan effect. 
• The "inner curve" of the brush is for the roots of your lashes and the longer brushes are to fan our your lashes. 

I have never seen a mascara brush like this one before, it has a small line of bristles and then the rest of the brush is filled with larger bristles. The brush itself is quite large and is slightly curved. The concept of the inner curve and the outer curve (is that what you would call it?) isn't some gimmick - I can clearly see what they are talking about. But that isn't to say that you pick this brush up and instantly know what to do with it (or maybe you do and it's just me?). Overall though I do like the brush and the inner curve definitely helps to to get into the roots of your lashes and the larger section of the brush does fan out your lashes.  

I definitely love how this mascara looks on my lashes. It lengthens them, gives them volume and curls them up and out, like a fan, easily. Plus it holds the curl pretty well too! My lashes normally look pretty ordinary but with this mascara I feel like they look awesome :) 

The one thing that stops me from saying "this mascara is amazing" is the formula of it. It is an extremely wet mascara and couple that with the fact that the wand holds an excess of mascara, it can get messy. I find myself scraping off heaps of mascara on the side of the tube before actually applying it. 

Overall this is a really good mascara and, if you don't mind a mascara that is quite wet, you will probably love it. I really adore the effect this mascara has on my lashes, and the brush is decent, but I do wish the formula wasn't as wet. 

Rimmel London Oh My Gloss 'Snog' Review

Rimmel London have added a new range of lip glosses to their range that are worth looking at. I have been wearing the shade 'snog' for the past couple of weeks and really like it!!! It has been my go-to lipgloss.

'Snog' is your typical  'my lips but better shade' with extra shine. If you like berry shades with a brown/pink undertone you will love this shade. The colour, although very pigmented and buildable when first applied, doesn't last for that long - it begins to fade after approximately 1 hour. The shine stays around for a lot longer though! Colour-wise, my camera refused to get the colour right. In the picture above the colour is washed out. If you look in the reflection, that is a bit more accurate...

One of the reasons why I have been wearing this lipgloss a lot lately is because it is great for hiding chapped and dry lips. It doesn't dry out your lips and all that shine disguises yucky winter lips. Talking about winter...I cannot wait for spring!

Overall, this is a really great basic lipgloss. It gives you nice colour, heaps of shine, has a sweet smell and doesn't dry out your lips. Everything you want from a lipgloss. 

Maybelline Color Drama Lipstick Pencils Review

Today I am reviewing the Maybelline Color Drama Lipsticks, the lipstick pencils that were launched earlier this year, and have stolen my life. When these were first released they didn't even register on my radar. Why? 1. They were too pigmented (I know I sound crazy but I cannot pull off a bold lip) 2. You had to sharpen them. But when I saw them on sale I figured I might as well give them a try. Their normal retail price is $9.95 so on sale they are ultra cheap. But for that tiny price you get an amazing product!

I have two shades, 'Minimalist' which is a medium-toned pink with silver shimmer and 'Nude Perfection' which is a warm-toned brown nude. Both shades are incredibly pigmented. The formula isn't necessarily moisturising but they are not drying either. Pretty good for a long-lasting lip product! They feel really creamy when you apply them. In terms of lasting power, I was super impressed. At the one hour mark it looks freshly applied and it is only once you go past the 2 hour mark that the colour begins to fade. They wear off evenly, don't smear and are easy to apply. Both shades are very pigmented and I think people who love a bold lip will love these pencils. If you are not a fan of a bold lip I think that 'Minimalist' is worth looking at.

I like everything about these pencils except for the fact that you have to sharpen them...but I have sharpened mine and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  When you first buy them the pencil is nicely shaped but with continual use (and sharpening) this shape disappears.

I really love these pencils and would definitely recommend you try them out. They come in a number of a gorgeous shades and are great quality and value.

Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Review - Greyfitti

A couple of months ago I raved on and on about the 'Dig Fig' shade from Sally Hansen's Miracle Gel collection of nail polishes. Today I am going to tell you all about another polish from the collection, the shade 'Greyfitti'. 'Greyfitti' is a beautiful pale grey. Whilst it has slight undertones of blue you definitely don't look at the polish and think it is blue...it is grey.

My proper camera is out of action so I apologise for this substandard photo. The polish looks way more amazing in real life...trust me!

The formula of this nail polish is a little thin and streaky on the first coat but all is resolved once you do your second coat. The formula itself was very easy to work with and apply. After applying those two coats I waited a couple of minutes and then applied the special top coat.......and then after that I put on my usual Insta-Dri Sally Hansen top coat. The extra top coat is not necessary though. These miracle gel polishes last really well and endure a lot! I can get easily a week out of these nail polishes before any noticeable wear starts appearing. Typically I only get 2-3 days out of a manicure.

I completely adore this nail polish and highly recommend it. It is a very versatile colour, has a great formula and lasts well. 

Essie All Tied Up Nail Polish Review

Today I have a nail polish swatch and review for you, and that nail polish is 'All Tied Up' from Essie. 'All Tied Up' is a rosy pink with brown undertones and very subtle gold shimmer. The shimmer looks pretty in the bottle however it isn't very noticeable on the nail. You definitely need a topcoat with this nail polish to make the subtle shimmer pop a little.

The formula of this nail polish is superb - you can easily get away with one coat. Combined with a new wider brush, the formula is non-streaky and dries quickly.

Overall I absolutely adore this nail polish. Without a topcoat the polish looks a bit flat but ignoring that, I can easily imagine this polish becoming one of my all-time favourite nail polishes (a big thing for a nail polish addict to say!!!). The formula is great and the colour is great - a very versatile pinky nude that is chic and elegant. Appropriate for work and the weekend. 

Summer Skincare Routine 2015

I think I have perfected my summer skincare routine. My skin was like a temperamental toddler in the beginning of summer, it probably also didn't help that we have had an unusually wacky summer. January was abnormally cold, usually it is abnormally hot...But finally I have a handful of products that I would like to praise. Thanks goes to the following products for keeping my skin well behaved and pimple free for the past couple of months:

Olay Complete Defence Daily UV Moisturising Lotion SPF 30+

If I am going to take a step out the front door I wear this moisturiser underneath my make-up. With SPF 30 it is great for the Australian summer. It sinks in nicely, doesn't leave any residue and doesn't interfere with my make-up. It is very lightweight and feels moisturising however I do feel like I need another moisturiser in my arsenal because this sometimes doesn't hydrate my dry skin enough. I definitely love this product though and will definitely repurchase it.

 Garnier Moisture Match Start Afresh Light Softening Cream 

This is the latest addition to my skincare routine and the product that I feel has really completed it. Before using this moisturiser my skin was misbehaving. Despite usually having oily / combination skin I felt like my skin was dry. It was tired and generally just not feeling or looking great. After using this moisturiser daily for 2-3 weeks my skin feels more hydrated. It sinks in quickly and I don't think it has been leaving any residue on my skin or interfering with my make-up, but it has been quite hot so it is difficult to tell when it feels like your make-up is literally going to melt off from the heat! So far I have been super impressed with this moisturiser and for a mere $10 it is definitely worth giving it a try. There is a number of different moisturisers in this range, depending on what your skin concern is, so there should be something for everybody. I'll post a full review of this product once I have worn it for a little longer.

Yes to Carrots Daily Cream Facial Cleanser

If you have been reading my blog for awhile you will already know this...but I LOVE the 'Yes to' skincare range. I have tried several of their cleansers and the latest one is the 'daily cream facial cleanser'. This is a gentle cream cleanser that has been working great for me lately. I sound like a broken record, but again, I haven't had any breakouts while using this product and it has done a great job at controlling my skin. If you have very dry skin I'm not sure if this will be the best cleanser in the world for you but otherwise it's pretty good! 

Nivea Pure & Natural Olive and Lemon Lip Balm

This lip balm was launched ages ago in America and in the past month itfinally arrived on our shores here in Australia. I was super excited when I saw it and brought it immediately. I have had dry, chapped and generally flaky lips for ages. However since using this balm I have felt like my lips have been a lot smoother, less dry and less flaky. Yay! Is it only me or do you feel like a lot of lip balms either do nothing or dry your lips out? The scent of this lip balm is quite unusual and it doesn't disappear immediately after application which is good. I've been a long time fan of Nivea and I actually think this is my favourite Nivea lip balm. 

So these are the skincare products I have been loving lately. What products have you been loving this summer? 

Thanks for reading, 

cheers :)

Models Prefer Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint Review - Candylicious

The Models Prefer Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint in the shade 'Candylicious' is a beautiful berry colour. The crayon itself has a wind-up mechanism which is great, no sharpening required, and the plastic packaging feels sturdy. My lips have been quite dry lately but when I apply this lip tint my lips feel moisturised. It is very comfortable to wear however I don't think it actually cures my dry lips. Whilst it feels moisturising while you wear it, after it has worn off your lips are returned to whatever state they were in originally.

For a "lip tint" the pigmentation of this crayon is impressive, it can be worn sheer but you can build the pigmentation up. Also, as indicated by the name "glossy lip tint", the finish is really nice and glossy. The wear time of this product is really good. After one hour it still looks freshly applied, and I find it lasts on my lips for 3 hours. Pretty good!

Overall I think this is a really good lip crayon; good lasting power, good pigmentation and is very comfortable on the lips.

Sally Hansen - Raisin the Bar: Swatch and Review

'Raisin the Bar' from Sally Hansen is a pinky plum colour with a metallic finish. As always with the Complete Salon Manicure collection, the brush was perfect. Nice and wide, and flat! The thin formula worked best when applied in thin coats. The polish is pretty opaque so you can get away with one coat easily. As with a lot of polishes with a metallic finish, you can sometimes see the brushstrokes, however I think with a topcoat it looks fine! (I'm using the Insta-Dri top coat from Sally Hansen).