August Favorites!

My favourite things for the month of August!

Well guys, September is well and truly here and it is time for me to share with you some of the things I have been loving about August. 

To see me talk about these favourites and a few more, watch my youtube video!

CLICK ME! >>>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcR-inMZ5ko<<< CLICK ME!

The majority are beauty related except for one. Lets get started!

This is a portable vibration speaker. This is by the brand 'Yellowsone'. I picked this up from JB Hi-Fi for apporx $10 - $15 a few months ago and of course I used it, but I lost it for a little while and really started using it again in August - it came with me to Melbourne and it was awesome! So compact and easy to travel with. They work when the music device - phone or Ipod etc is placed in direct contact with the speaker - so make sure your phone case is off. (Unless you have an iPhone 4S and place it face down) - thats what I do. 

It is compatible with most phones just wiggle it around to get the best position for the speaker to pick up the vibrations. It takes 3 x AA Batteries and they last for a long time! It is super affordable and portable and such a good idea. They come in a range of different colours and you should be able to get them here. It is going to come in so handy for all the picnics and beach trips that will happen when the weather warms up!

Here we have a Sanctuary Spa Salt Scrub. This, as the name implies is an exfoliating salt scrub, and it leaves you feeling pampered and silky smooth. I use this once a week all over my body when I'm in the bath, I rub it into my skin in small circular motions then let the oils seep into my skin as I sit in a nice hot bath. I come out silky smooth and smelling divine and I still smell like it the next day. I recommend using it all over your body except your face as salt is (in my opinion) too harsh of an exfoliant for your face. If you would like, dip a cotton pad in the oil and rub that into your skin after your face routine. It leaves the face smooth and smelling delicious. This cost $20.00 for 650g and it has lasted a long time. I will be re-purchasing. It is available from Priceline. 

Right here is a Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls Blush. I've talked about this before in my 'Spring Essentials' Post. Its fantastic. Definitely a favourite. 

There are two favourites here, one is the ALMAY brow pencil. Its one of the twist pencils. It is all I have been using on my brows for months now and I thought it deserved a write up. It goes on so easy and it is kind of a waxy texture once applied and that acts as a gel to hold your brows in place. Love this product. 

The one underneath that is my all time favourite Liquid Eyeliner. Its by Bourjois, its the 16hr liner and it is fantastic. It has such a small, fine brush, you can get the perfect winged liner in seconds. It is so simple to use and I always recommend this to people. 

Two mascara favourites. I apply the Bourjois mascara to my lashes first, that does a great job at adding some curl and definition, then I go over with the Benefit 'They're Real' mascara for added length and volume. I use the Bourjois mascara every day and its great, I never used to like it but it has definitely grown on me. I didn't like the benefit one either, but after a few uses and once I relised that using it along with the Bourjois one would give such amazing results, I'm in love. 

They work so well together. The benefit one was a bit pricey and I was un happy with the purchase when I wasn't sure if I liked it or not, but now that I do. I recommend benefit, if you want to treat yourself to a slightly more 'high end' product. 

Vintage Pink; Fancy; Pure Heroine

Three lipsticks have made it into the favourite list this month, two from Rimmel and one from MAC. 

The two from Rimmel are from the moisture renew range and I've talked about this range before, and even the colour 'Fancy' was mentioned in my Spring Essentials post. 

The lipsticks stand true to the 'Moisture Renew' name. They glide on effortlessly and your lips feel instantly moisturised. They're long lasting too which is always something that I like in a lipstick. 

 Colour 180 - Vintage Pink - is exactly how its described. A gorgeous dusty rose pink something that to me, screams 'old hollywood' It is a gorgeous shade that can be worn on the every day basis that can even be worn out at night, its not too pink for the office or school, but its not 'boring' or too nude to be worn to dinner or drinks. Definitely a staple piece.

Fancy is a very pretty baby pink with slight gold toned shimmer through it that makes the lips look natural and innocent and yet when the light hits them, the gold shines and then you honestly do feel a little bit Fancy.

The packaging is perfect, clean and simple. I recommend these colours to all who ask me about what a 'good lipstick' is. They suit all skin tones, and much to my excitement, my friend who read my previous 'Spring Essentials' post went out and bought one of these lipsticks. She has the Vintage Pink and she is quite a few shades paler than I am and it suits her skin tone perfectly.

This MAC lipstick was meant for me. It is the Lorde collaboration with MAC and when I found out about it, I knew I had to have it.

It is a nice dark plum colour, iconic of the young super star singer. I love her music and I love rocking a dark plum lip so when I saw this advertised I needed to have it.

I finally bought it, sadly, we're coming into warmer weather and I might not be able to wear it as much as I would have liked, but as soon as there is a cloudy or dark day, this bad boy is coming out and I'm going to rock it!

The consistency, like all MAC lipsticks is nice and smooth. It has the iconicly MAC vanilla scent which is so pleasant. 

The colour lasts a very long time, however like all dark lipsticks does tend to bleed into the skin, so be sure to use a lip liner before hand to avoid this fashion faux pas!

Packaging is MAC standard. Sleek black tube, classic lipstick. I picked this up for $36.00 at the MAC store and it is also available online at the MAC Cosmetics website!

And there you have it! these have been my favourite products for the month of August! I'm already compiling a new list for September so be sure to look out for that. Be sure to watch the video to hear me talk about these products and a few more! 

Mini Make-up Review

Spring is in the air!

We're in the last week of Winter here in Australia and the weather is finally starting to warm up and the sun is coming out. This means Spring is well and truly on the way! 

Spring greets us with warmer days, sunny skies and in my case a runny nose, itchy eyes and hay-fever, BUT I will not let that stop me from feeling pretty!

While its time to (sadly) trade out the plums for the pinks, the deep reds for the fun oranges, (keep them for a rainy day) here are two products that I've been loving that help me get in the mood for Spring!

Rimmel Moisture Renew - 210 - Fancy: Packaging and Swatch

The first product is a Lipstick and its from Rimmel, its part of their Moisture Renew range and I have some lippys in this range already and I love them. However, they're plums and deep reds...so I hereby introduce you to my newest colour in my collection, it helps me feel... FANCY!

Colour 210 - Fancy. Its a gorgeous baby pink/dusty rose colour that has slight specks of shimmer/glitter. Usually I'm a matte gal and I'm not a big fan of glittery or even frosted or shimmer finishes, but this is just so sweet and subtle I couldn't say 'no'. I picked it up at Priceline for $13.95 which I think is reasonably priced. I love Rimmel Lipsticks and you get great wear out of them. I only had to touch up once during the day and that was after I'd just downed a 6inch BMT from Subway. So I think that's pretty good.

Physicians Formula Blush: Packaging and Swatch

The second product is a blush. Now normally I either don't wear it (my cheeks are naturally flushed all the time anyway) or I'm not really fussed by it, but I saw this one and I'd been eyeing it off for a while so I thought I'd finally purchase it. It is the Powder Palette - Mineral Glow Pearls Blush by Physicians Formula.

I have a few items by Physicians Formula, but for me, they can be a little on the pricier side, so when I purchase something from them, it has to be worth it. As I mentioned I had been eyeing it off for some time, every time I walk into Priceline I'd swatch it, so I finally decided to purchase it (I also had some membership coupons - so that helped me decide). The price is $21.95 but I have to say, It is totally worth it. It is an absolutely gorgeous colour and it stays all day. There are two colours to choose from, 'Natural Pearl' and 'Rose Pearl' - I opted for natural because I already have quite flushed cheeks. 

Secret Compartment: Mirror and Brush

I also want to mention the packaging of this, it is adorable! The product is Mineral Glow Pearl Blush and on the top of the case/lid it has a little pearl detail which makes me think of opening a clam shell with pearls in it because I just really want to be The Little Mermaid. The compact actually has a secret compartment and comes with a little brush and mirror - so this product is great for putting in your purse for daily use, touch ups, and fantastic travel size!

Because this is one of the blushes with mixed tones it looks very natural, it has just the right amount

of shimmer to it so it doesn't make you look like you're ready for a 'cheer comp'.

This product also doesn't go 'cakey' - not on my skin anyway - I have quite dry skin, because of this I choose cream products so my skin doesn't look scaly and flaky, but this product doesn't do that. Its the perfect pinched cheek pink that says 'flirty'.

Left: Blush - Right: Lipstick

Left: Blush - Right: Lipstick

I like to pair these two products together. I find they really compliment each other. These will probably be some of my 'go-to' products for the warmer months - (until the rainy day and I can bust out a plum again)

Another thing that I love about these two products, is that depending on your skin tone, the colours enhance your natural glow. In the photo on the left, my skin there is quite pale, and the colours show up pink and perky, whilst in the swatch set on the right, I placed the products on my arm where there is more of a 'tan', this made the colours show up a bit more bronzy but still with a nice peachy pink undertone. The colours adapt to your skin tone and look natural under different lights. I'll finish this post of with a shameless selfie of me wearing them together. I love this combo and I hope you do to. I 100% recommend these products and hope you try them out too! Get ready for Spring! 

The products look so natural and enhance your skin!

Powder Palette®Mineral Glow Pearls Blush

Powder Palette®Mineral Glow Pearls Blush

Powder Palette®Mineral Glow Pearls Blush

Powder Palette®Mineral Glow Pearls Blush

How To - DIY

Using a Microwave to Dry and Press Lavender!

You read that right! This is a 'How To' blogpost! 

To cut a long story short, I am making my own engagement invitations. The colours I have chosen for my wedding are peach and lavender. To reflect these colours in the engagement party, these are the colours I'm using for the invitations. I decided I wanted some actual lavender with each invitation, however, invites will be sent out next week and there just isn't enough time to dry and press them the traditional way. So after a short google search I came across another method of using a microwave, I couldn't find one for lavender specifically, so I decided to wing it, and it actually worked really well. So I thought I'd share with you the process. 

 Things you will need:

Fresh lavender. Of course. Kris (my fiancé) went on the extremely masculine task of gathering the flowers for me. Fortunately there was a thriving plant at his parents house.







Paper. Here I've just got plain A4 paper straight out of my printer. I've folded it in half and then ripped it to size. Size will vary depending on the tile.









Paper towel. Here I have two sheets, but I've still got them connected. It's not essential to have them connected, but as I was using it quite a bit, the better I got at the whole process, I realised how good it was to have them connected and able to fold.








A tile. Or a plate - something microwaveable but 'heavy'. I was fortunate enough to have just had my kitchen re-tiled and had some lying around. I made sure the paper when folded was the size of this tile. Nice and square. (shape and size really have nothing to do with it, the bigger the tile, the more you can press at once)

Steps:

 One:

First you should align your papers like this, have the paper towel down first, then the 'printing' paper. Place it so the fold of the paper is with the join of the two paper towels. (this is why it's easy to have them still connected together) It makes it easy to fold over. Next arrange the lavender on one half. I arranged mine like this, you can do it however you want with how ever much you wish to fit on there.



Two:
The next few steps are quite easy, however I've included pictures for every little step to ensure a full understanding of whats going on.

Carefully fold the papers over so they're looking like this. If any of the lavender slide out, be sure to wiggle it back in place.

Three:
Gently press down on the papers until you can feel the lavender, then give it a firm push, this will keep them in place long enough for you to get the tile:

Four:
Place the tile upside down (so the shiny, smooth side is touching the papers) and make sure it is aligned with the 'printing' paper, you'll be able to see through the paper towel so this really isn't a very hard step. 

The two papers will act as 'blotting paper'. Blotting paper is what is used in traditional flower pressing.





Five:
With the tile in position, give it another firm push, pressing it all together. carefully slide everything as it is here, onto your hand and make your way to the microwave!
 





Six:
Place in the microwave like so. (I put some more paper towel on the plate of my microwave, this isn't essential, it just helps soak up any excess moisture)


Microwave for 1 minute on high. take a peak and see if they're dried and pressed to your liking, if not, microwave in 30second intervals until desired dryness is achieved. 

You will know when they're done as a strong smell of lavender will be coming from your microwave.


Seven:
Carefully remove the tile from the paper, use a towel or oven mitt when handling this, as it becomes very hot!

Take the folded papers out of the microwave and place down, carefully unfold the top layers, and there you have it, nice crisp lavender ready for arts and crafts or just placing around the house!

Left: Fresh Lavender - Right: Microwaved Lavender

I really hope you try this out and let me know in comments if you do, also, let me know any of your tips and tricks for this, have you tried this with other flowers? let me know!

Makeup Inspiration

Dorothy - Wizard of Oz

In appreciation of the 75th anniversary of The Wizard of Oz, I decided to do my makeup inspired by it, one of my favorite movies.

Please excuse the poor iphone quality

 I took inspiration from Judy Garland, and adorned myself in white lace, and baby blue colours. I chose to do a striking red lip to compliment the colour used in the movies and to somehow pay homage to her gorgeous hair.

This is the look I came up with: Baby blue on the majority of the lid and a darker 'sky' blue on the outer corner, these colours represented Dorothy's dress and bow. I used almost a canary yellow gold colour on the inner corner of my eye to represent the 'Yellow Brick Road' that Dorothy has to walk down.  The red on my lips is a deep red matte lippy, this one is from the brand savvy and in the colour 'Miss Monroe', the colour is fitting, I chose this because I wanted an 'old hollywood' look.

Ice Blue: applied to majority of eyelid

Baby Blue: applied to outer corner of eyelid.

Yellow Gold: applied to inner corner.

I added this baby blue, bow headband and then put my hair into two loose french braids on either side of my head with a part going straight down the middle. I matched the blue colours of my eye make up with this.

I curled my lashes and then applied a coat of benefits 'They're Real' mascara (my current fave) and then applied some false lashes to the outter portion of my eye to give me the 'doe eyed, bambi' look that Dorothy has because she's just an innocent little girl, this was fun to play with. I also did a slight wingged eyeliner to add to the classic hollywood look I was going for.

Last but not least, you have to have the ruby slippers, and sadly mine aren't as glittery as the real ones, but these did the trick to complete the look.

I had a lot of fun, and might end up doing more makeup inspiration posts in the future, I forgot how much fun it is to play dress-ups and use colours.

This would be such a cute look for Halloween, its very easy and can be dressed up or down.

Products Used:

Foundation: L'Oréal Paris 'True Match' Liquid Foundation R3-C3 Rose Beige

Powder: Covergirl 'Classics' Loose Powder - Translucent

Eye Liner: Bourjois Paris - Liner Pinceau 16h Liquid Eyeliner

Mascara/s: Bourjois Paris - Volume Glamour Ultra Curl

                  Benefit - They're Real

Lip Colour: Savvy Ultra Matte Lip Colour - Miss Monroe

DIY Hair Colour Tutorial

Pink and Purple Hair

 

 I've had ombré hair for almost a year now, and that was a huge step for me in the fact that I don't usually colour or do anything with my hair, despite wanting to. So since its fairly blonde for the majority, I thought I would spice it up with a bit of colour, this is temporary and lasts anywhere from 3 - 30 washes. I did this all myself and I'm really happy with how it all turned out. If you're interested in knowing what I did. Keep reading.

 
The Product:
Here is the dye I used. They're both by the brand 'Fudge' and they're the 'Paint Box' colour dyes.They have a HUGE selection of colours and you can find them, here. The colours I used are Red Corvette and Blueberry Hill. I mixed the red with some conditioner to make it less intense as I didn't have an actual pink colour.

I also have some hair separating clips (these are TONY&GUY) a comb, Gloves and an old t-shirt.

Before:
This is my 'Before' picture. There is no product in my hair, this is just how it is naturally. It doesn't matter if you have anything in your hair because step one is to shampoo it. The instructions I'm following are from the back of the tubes of dye.

 Step One: Brush and Shampoo.

Shampoo your hair to get out any product and to make sure you have a nice clean canvas to work with, then towel dry. The hair needs to be wet/damp for the dye to develop. I separated my hair into two layers, I clipped the top layer u and out of the way.






Step Two: Apply the dye.
Though I seem to have quite a lot of hair, its actually quite thin and fine, so I don't need a lot of dye, I started out by squeezing about the size of a marble into my gloves and then worked that into the selected hair. I made sure to totally saturate the ends with dye and have it slightly uneven as it blended into my natural hair, basically following my ombré, I didn't want just a straight line of colour.
 



When you have all the hair covered in dye, let down the other layer and keep them slightly separate, I personally didn't mind if the colours 'bled' together a little bit because I like that effect, however if you want clear defined colours, wrap them in plastic wrap and clip out of the way. 

 Step Three: Processing
Apply the second colour of dye, I triple checked that I had all the blonde I wanted covered. I left just a small amount blonde where so it doesn't look like such a harsh transition. I let both of the dyes touch each other during the processing stage. If you don't want them to touch wrap them in plastic wrap and clip out of the way, or use plastic freezer bags, just slide your hair in, tie up with clear elastic and then clip up. Its a lot cleaner. Plastic can help with the processing. Leave colour on hair for 15 - 30 minutes. Rinse out until water runs clear and then condition your hair as usual.

 Step Four: Rinse, dry and style.
I blow dried, brushed then styled my hair, with the NuMe Lustrum. For these curls I used the tapered wand (the one that looks triangular). I was so happy with how the colours came out and how the transition from my natural dark brown hair, to the small amount of honey blonde, into the pink/red and down into the purple.




Close up of curls/colours.
Here you can see the colours blending into one another and looking vibrant. Because the red was 'watered down' with conditioner, it came out pinky / strawberry blonde which I'm very happy with. The colour may was out quicker thought because it wasn't 100% dye. If you're after a pink colour you should probably by the colour you want unless you don't mind about early fading.





 After: End Result styled.

Before                            After

 Final Comparison.

Nail Art Tutorial

Aztec Gold

This style of print is everywhere you look, jewellery, fashion and even nail art, I love it. Its perfect for spring and summer with light colours and pastels but with a change of colour it can be just the right amount of detail for a winter look.

Step One: Clean Nails

Remove all nail polish and then give them a once over with some nail polish remover to make sure they're nice and clean.

Step Two: The Product.
I'm using three Sally Hansen polishes for this. They're all from the 'HARD as NAILS XTREME WEAR' range and they're some of my personal favorite polishes to use.

 The three polishes are:
'100' "Invisible" a clear coat I use as a top coat.

'300' "White On" a nice opaque white.

'485' "Golden Eye" a gorgeous gold shade that goes on smooth but has plenty of sparkle




This is nail stripping tape, I got this and about 25 other rolls from ebay for approx $2.00 sssuuuuupppppeeerrrr cheap and no shipping. I'm sure there are a million other places to get it from. I chose to use it in a pink shade so it would show up in photos (however it did bleed into the colour slightly so keep that in mind) This product is something you can leave on the nails, or remove like a stencil such as what I've done.

Step Three: Painting the nails
I did both hands like this, however feel free to choose two colours of your own. I'm thinking for more of a winter look changing to a black or a navy blue instead of white. The options are endless.

Step Four: Detail.
I did a really basic design, to be honest this was quite time consuming and tricky, I did it to one hand only (my original intent anyway) I was going to do more of a zigzag pattern but for my first time using the stripping tape I thought I'd do something 'simple'
 




Step Five: Paint over - BE MESSY
Paint over the tape with opposite colours, so keep that in mind when painting your nails for the first coat, whatever one you want more colour of, paint the opposite colour first. On the gold nails, I painted them over with white and on the white nail (accent nail) I painted it over with gold.
Now I have opposite hands because I chose to do the design to one hand only and I really like the look of them.
I stress about being messy, make sure you've covered all the base colour polish up, its easy to clean up rather than having to go back when the colour is dry and painting a small little line.

Step Six: Remove Stickers
Peel off the stickers carefully (I used tweezers to help me) and then slather on a coat of clear polish to make sure the edges don't flick up and tare. As I said before the pink did bleed into the polish a little bit, but I don't mind, its all a learning experience.

Thats the final look and I hope you like it. Thanks!