Getting prepared for Christmas!

Today's blog is all about gift giving! I love Christmas so much! Not only because i get a lot of presents but also because i get to give presents! I find it so much fun trying to hunt down and find the perfect gifts for my friends and family! My family this year has decided we will each write a list of things that we would like to get, so that we get things we actually want and it makes it easier for everyone! My list will be mainly gift vouchers and DVDs of Tv shows!

Tomorrow is the first of December, so that gives me 24 days to find the perfect gifts! In that time i have a lot happening, a few concerts to attend and a friend's birthday. So i started buying gifts for my friends a few weeks ago because it's really easier to buy for them because i just buy what i would like haha.

I discovered this awesome company that's quite similar to Lush Cosmetics, it's called Bomb Cosmetics! I learnt about this site from BeautyHeaven! BH has helped me to learn so much about different products that i never knew existed, but it's also become responsible for my dwindling bank account! I purchase a few Bomb Cosmetics products from the Australian distributor, Get Drenched you can visit their site here. So let's get down to the order this is how it all arrived. 

There was a little card from the owner Liz, she also included a free Christmas Bath Creamer! Totally cute. This is what i ordered:

Geisha Glass Candle $15.95

Secret Garden Shower Soap $9.95

Paradise Lost Solid Shower Butter Bar $11.95

Very Berry Car/Room Freshener $5.95

They have a super great deal on at the moment, all orders over $100 receive a free gift pack and free shipping! The first two products i bought are gifts, i haven't used the butter bar yet but i have used the freshener and it is awesome! Makes my car smell like lollies! 

Recently i've been on the look out for a nice coral/peach colour polish! I came across the Sally Hansen Spring Carnival range at priceline which was on sale, I decided to purchase the peach colour, the colours were all very lovely and perfect for Spring. I picked up Peach of Cake.

Peach of Cake with flash

Peach of Cake without flash

The formula is actually quite thick, thicker than i am used to. So it took me awhile to figure out how to get it right. This is with two coats, and a few nails had 3 coats, like the thumb nail. Overall i love the texture of this polish. The colour itself is a lot more orange than i wanted. It's more of a pastel/neon orange. I guess i'll keep looking for that perfect peachy pink!

Many of you would already know that NYX has made it to Australian shores! I myself have never actually used the products before, but i have read soooo many blogs and reviews raving about this company that i really wanted to try some. The line is sold in Target stores, and unfortunately for me, it's only sold in two of our stores, one is a city 3hrs away and the other is a suburb i don't venture to. So today i decided i'd venture out there and have a look at what all the rage is about. Firstly i was super impressed with the display! It had lots of pictures and was labeled really well, and it had testers!! The only downside was each product was labeled with it's shade number not the name, so i had to search through them all to see which ones were one's i had seen reviews about. So here is what i picked up. 

Top: Butter Gloss Creme Brulee, Cream Blush Natural
Bottom: Eyeshadow Love in Rio Bikini Bottom (L), Moonlit Skinny Dip (R)

Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee $9.95

Cream Blush in Natural $11.95

Eyeshadow Love in Rio Bikini Bottom $9.95

Eyeshadow Love in Rio Moonlit Skinny Dip $9.95

The first two products are for myself, i really wanted to try the Butter Gloss and i decided this was a good colour to chose to try because it wasn't too bright. A lot of the other colours were super bright, there were about only 8 to choose from! I also wanted to try some of the lipsticks but all the lighter pink colours were gone. So i'll look again when i go to Melbourne. But at the moment i have a lot of Mac lipstick samples coming so i'll stick with those first. Now everyone raves about the Butter Gloss and i understand why, it smell absolutely divine! A love vanilla scent! The product itself is not too sticky at all! It's exactly what i was after, and i think i'll purchase a pinker shade next time too! I also picked up one for my friend for Christmas because i thought she might like it too! 

I have only a few blushes, and they are all powdered and shimmery so i wanted one that was creamy and a bit more matte like. So far i really like this blush! 

I picked up two of the eyeshadow palettes for two of my friends for Christmas. Bikini Bottom shades are all shimmery, i didn't actually swatch these at the store, as they weren't for me. Moonlit Skinny Dip has two matte shades and the tan colour is shimmery. Hopefully the girls like these! 

With flash: Left Butter Gloss, Right Cream Blush

Without Flash

I'm really excited to see what my friend's think of their gifts! I hope they like them as much as i would! I'd love to hear what you are planning to buy your friends, or what's on your Christmas wish list?!

Have you tried the NYX products? What other products in the brand should i be trying? 

November Bellabox + Frank Body Scrub & Kora Organics

Yesterday was a very exciting day for me in terms of online purchases being delivered. So today i'll be sharing my experiences with Bellabox and also sharing some info about some other products i've purchased, Frank Body Scrub and more Kora products!

Bellabox:
On to the Bellabox, i signed up at the end of October so i just missed the October box. It was this box that got me interested in joining up, i like the idea that you can cancel at any time, you just give them 30 days notice. For $15 what i've seen in previous boxes its pretty good value, and i love samples because it gives you a chance to try things you normally wouldn't. When i signed up they ask you questions about your skin type, colour, hair colour etc and your income.... i thought this was a little strange but i was honest and put down my income. More on my skepticism about this later....

So this is what i got, i believe it came in the new type of box they are going to be introducing later, other people got a little zip makeup bag?? I guess that's what it was. So in the box:

Full Size Bellabox Pout Pencil in Nuude

Full size Simple Makeup Corrector Pen

Sample size Lapurete Okuru Protective Day Creme

 Sample size B.Liv Cellnique Shrink and Tighten

Sample Size Aveeno Daily Body Moisturiser

BONUS! Bump Eraser Paste!

So far i have used the pout pencil, nude isn't a colour i'd go for. I'm really pale and it kinda washes me out a bit. But i really want to try and make it work so i might play with it a bit more.

Bellabox Pout Pencil - Nuude

I have also tried a bit of the Aveeno on my legs, it is really thick! And i could still feel the cream there later in the day. It might be better for super dry skin!

Now on to my theory about income... i have noticed that a lot of other people got samples of more affordable products such as Ponds Age Cream which is about $30 full size i think... the B.liv shrink and tighten that i got is valued at $60 for the full size! Obviously i don't know what these people's incomes are, but i'm intrigued to know if that's how they work as well. Giving people who are more likely to be able to afford a higher priced item. Just a thought, i honestly have no idea. So i'd love to know what other people think. Do you think you get products that you are A. More likely to purchase or B. More likely to be able to afford to buy?


Kora Organics:
So a few weeks ago, just after i purchased my Kora Cream Cleanser, Ozsale had a huge sale on Kora products.. well a few, and most had sold out when i got around to checking them out! But for $7 a pop i can understand that! So i picked up the Soothing Moisturiser and Clay Mask for about $7 each i believe! They have a short expiry of April 2014! I'd seriously recommend signing up for Ozsale!

I used the mask last night, it recommends leaving it on for 10 mins or 5 for sensitve skin. I chose in between that. At the moment i've broken out in a rash around my jaw line, so i avoided that area. From what i've read, the mask is meant to bring all the impurities to the service for the first few weeks you use it. Oh my it certainly did that. Straight after i washed the mask off i had a little red pimple type thing on my chin. Now it is an actual white pimple! I guess this is good because it's bringing it around quicker! So far i like this mask!

Frank Body Scrub:

Last week i decided to purchase Frank Body Coffee Scrub, $14.95 for 200g! I've been following them on Instagram for a few months now and i've always been pretty intrigued so i decided buy it. I used it tonight and oh my god..... my skin feels so amazing i can't stop touching it! The coffee smell isn't that bad i thought it would be worse. But seriously you should give this a go. I didn't even leave it on for 10mins probably just over 5. I did my face a little just the top half, and that feels amazing too! I paid particular attention to my stretch marks and cellulite areas as well as where i currently have a bit of eczema. It is very messy though, so i'd advise to do your scrubbing in the shower after you've turned the water off! That's what i did! My hands feel amazing... like a baby's bottom!

I've got a lot more orders on there way to me! So i'll have plenty of things to write about. 

Have you signed up to Bellabox or interested in giving it a go?

Have you got down and dirty with FRANK

Priceline 40% off Haul and iHerb order!!

Today Priceline had 40% off!! I didn't want to go crazy in there but there were a few things i did actually need. Like a new mascara and primer! So this is what i got:
- Maybelline Falsies Flare
- Essie Nail Polish in Sugar Daddy
- L'Oreal 2-step longwear lipstick in Timeless Rose
- Face of Australia Primer 

I'm so far really happy with my purchases! I have used the Primer before, and i knew there was a reason i loved it so much. I recently discovered from reading blogs that it has pretty much the same ingredients as Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot! Which i also love! But not for $60! You can find more info about the ingredients here! 

I haven't used the Maybelline Falsies, but i posted a topic on the Beauty Heaven forum asking people's favourite mascaras including drug store ones and this was pretty popular! As was Benefit's They're Real! Which i will actually purchase in a few weeks!

I decided to try the L'Oreal 2-step lipstick after reading a topic on the BH forum, and this was a very popular lipstick! So i thought i might give it a go! I googled some swatches and decided that Timeless Rose looked good to try, and from the tester at Priceline it seemed a pretty nice shade. I have used this tonight and it was easy to apply, was a little bit tacky and weird while i waited for it to dry before applying the balm. The balm!! Oh my.... it is really nice. Tomorrow i'm going to test it out properly and see how long the colour actually lasts. I'll try to post pics! 

I really wanted a pale pink Essie nail polish and i thought i had picked a great choice, but when i read reviews (after i had purchased) people had said it the polish was very thin as was more like their nail but better. So the Essie polish was not quite what i was looking for, but i do actually like it. It is exactly like my nail but better. I posted some pics below. 

No flash, no top coat

With flash and top coat

The top coat i used was Essie good to go! I find this works ok with other brand polishes, makes my OPI ones last for ages, not so good with my MAC polish. 
Finally, my iHerb order! Not sure if you've heard of this site before, but it is awesome! It's American but the postage is so cheap and so fast! I buy Quest Protein bars from here because in Australia they are super expensive! An individual bar costs up to $4! I bought a box of 12 for around $26. My favourite flavours so far are White Choc Raspberry and Choc Chip Cookie Dough. This purchase was Coconut Cashew, so that will be interesting to try! These bars are great for a morning snack to get me through to lunch time, sometimes i'll eat half of one in the morning and the other half at around 3pm! 3pm-itis hits me hard! To pad my order out i also added some ThinkThin bites, i haven't tried these but the reviews seemed good. I also added Organic Cacao Powder, this is great to use in recipes in place of Cocoa Powder! And i also got to choose a free sample. So i picked Sierra Bees Organic Lip Balm - Vanilla. Smells a bit funny and tastes funny too! But can't complain about a freebie! 

You can use my iherb code JTN740 to get $5 or $10 off your first order! 

Have you tried Quest bars? Or can you recommend a good pink nail polish! Pastel pink or peachy pink even!?

Lastest purchases, and product review!

This week i have had a very busy time online shopping! I recently signed up to Beauty Heaven, an amazing community site with reviews about products, as well as an active forum where everyone is eager to help you out with your beauty questions. This site has introduced me to a lot of products and websites that i didn't know existed!

Thanks to this website i have ordered online, Urban Decay Naked2 pallet from Beauty Bay free shipping which is amazing! I saved around $20 from purchasing from this site rather than other ones that charged postage to Australia! I have also discover The Body Needs website which is a site that offers samples of MAC products, such as paint pots, pigments and lipstick! I have ordered about $30 worth of samples which was about 9 products, and the postage to Australia was $11.95. And finally i have also order a set of Furless brushes! I can't wait for all these products to arrive and for me to be able to comment on them! 

Now on to the products that i have actually physically bought this week, Models Prefer lipstick in Picture Perfect, Simple eye make up remover wipes and Kora Organics Cream Cleanser (actually purchased last week). 

L-R Simple Wipes, Models Prefer Lipstick, Kora Cream Cleanser

 I'll start with the Kora Organics Cream Cleanser. Kora Organics is a product created by the beautiful Miranda Kerr. I was a little skeptical about this product because it was a celebrity endorsed product, but from the reviews i've read and the Kora website, I don't think Miranda would risk damaging her reputation with a dodgy product. Now i chose an Organic product because i have sensitive skin and a lot of chemicals and even essential oils irritate my skin. So far i have found this cleanser really good, it leaves my skin feeling very soft, but I sometimes don't feel it's cleansed my skin properly, and i'm still using my cleansing wipes afterwards. Maybe i need to use a exfoliating sponge with it (i'll try that). But i think once i finish this one i might try the foaming cleanser, i find most foaming ones dry out the skin, but from what i've reviewed this product doesn't have that affect on people.

After purchasing the cleanser for full price, Ozsale had an event on Kora products, i was able to pick up the moisturiser and clay mask for $30 TOGETHER! It does have a short use by date, April 2014 but i'm fairly sure i'll have it finished by then. Can't wait to review those products too!

Would i purchase this product again?: Yes, but the foaming one first.


Simple eye makeup remover wipes: I do like this product, i've only used it a few times and it does remove my waterproof Chanel mascara which is what i wanted. But i do find that it is really wet, and doesn't quite remove all of my eyeshadow in one go, i have to use a dry wipe to get the rest off. So it's good for removing waterproof mascara and taking off most eyeshadow.

Would I purchase again?: Probably not.


Models Prefer Lipstick, Picture Perfect:  I have read great reviews on Models Prefer products and the fact they are super cheap took my fancy. I purchased this lipstick from Priceline for about $9.95. I didn't swatch it, as at the time i had my hands full, and it looked pretty pale. I was wrong. It's actually really bright! At first i was annoyed, because i wanted something lightish. But once i figured out how to use it properly i could make it less bright. Just a little dab on my top lip.

Models Prefer Lipstick - Picture Perfect

 This is my lips with a little dab of colour on the top lip and then i put my lips together to coat the bottom. Below I did a light swipe and two swipes to show how the colour can build up.

Left: Light swatch Right: two swipes 

So although i wasn't sure about the colour, the actual lipstick is quite nice. It has this amazing fruit smell, can't quite figure out what it is, and the actual texture is really nice feels pretty moisturising!

Would i purchase again? For sure i would! 


That's my review of my latest products! Can't wait to share with you my thoughts on my pending product arrivals! Lots of lipsticks, eyeshadows and paintpots to review!

Have you tried any of these products? Would love to know your thoughts!

A few of my favourite makeup items

I decided to get on the blog bandwagon. Mainly because i was after a little hobby to do in my spare time. I have found so many blogs helpful when i'm looking to purchase products, whether that is cosmetics or other health related products!

For my first blog i have chosen to post about a few of my current favourite products!

My two favourite eye products, MAC's Paint Pots in Vintage Selection and Groundwork. I am also going to review my two favourite lip products at the moment. Dior Addict Lipstick in Dior Kiss and Dior Addict Lipgloss in Spring Ball. Vintage Selection was purchased from MAC online and the rest from my local Myer.



Paint pot, Dior Addict Lipstick, Dior Addict Gloss



Left to right: Vintage Selection, Groundwork



I love Groundwork because it is a great base colour, it is matte and has no shimmer. I use this before applying my powder shades and it helps the powder to stay on for longer. I would recommend using a brush to apply the paint pots, it helps to easily blend them into your skin and make it less obvious. 

Vintage Selection is on the opposite scale to Groundwork. It is super shimmery! I tend to use this more when I am going out at night or have a special occasion, not an every day shade for me.

Left to right - Dior Kiss & Spring Ball



Dior Kiss is a lovely bright pink colour. When i first purchased this i thought it would be far to bright for me. But it's not, it's quite lovely and you can build up the brightness by applying more coats. Usually one coat on the bottom and two on the top is enough for me.

The Spring Ball gloss is really nice. Although it is a gloss it is not sticky at all! I usually apply this throughout the day when I'm just at my desk. It's a pretty clear colour, with a slight peachy tone and a small amount of shimmer.

Well that's my review of my favourite items at the moment. They've lasted me ages but i'm sure i'll be re-stocking them if they run out! Please let me know if you'd like any more information about these products! 

Thanks for taking the time to read my first blog! :)

xx