May Favourites - Top 10 Products.....

Hi Everyone,
 
So I'm going to  be doing a blog post at the end of each month, with 10 of my favourite, most reached for products during the month, it will be a mix of high end and drug store products.......
 

Back Row - Benefit Blush in Coralista, Benefit The POREfessional,
Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige, Rimmel Wake Me Up Insant Radiance
Shimmer Touch in 003 Peach Glow, Beauty Blender
Middle Row - Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in 270 Fasion Icon, Stila duo eyeshadow in Kitten
Front Row - Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Light, Maybelline Master Precise
Liquid Liner in Black and Maybelline Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes in Black

 
 
So this month my favourite products were:

1.  Benefit Blush in Coralista - honestly if I had to pick one blush for the rest of my life, it would be this, it's a perfect corally-pink with a touch of shimmer, it provides a glowy cheek and with the shimmer there is no need for a cheek highlighter.

2.  Benefit The POREfessional - when I first used this product I was a bit 'meh' with it, but lately I've been testing it out again and find that it works much better if I let it settle into my skin for a few minutes before putting on my foundation.  It really does minimize the appearance of fine lines and pores.  When the sample runs out, I'm upsizing!

3.  Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation - I bought this foundation after Tanya Burr raved about it and used it so much on her You Tube channel.  I've found it's been working really well for me as winter approaches, as your skin tends to get a bit dull in winter this foundation brings back that radiant glow.  On the days I don't want to wear a full face of foundation I usually use the Rimmel BB Cream and then just dot this on where I need a little more coverage.

4.  Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch in Peach Glow - I love a liquid highlighter and this gives a lovely fresh look to your cheekbones and cupids bow.  I use a pea sized amount to  rub between my ring and middle fingers and then  pat onto my face and then  blend.  Layer with a coral coloured blush and increase the longevity!

5.  Beauty Blender - Aha!  My saviour, no longer will I have that caked on make up look, actually I don't think I've ever suffered from that, but this little black magic egg will change the way your make up looks!  I've tried the dupes of the Beauty Blender (ie - Pod) and this wins hands down.  You wet the Blender and it grows to almost double it's size, squeeze all the water out of it and then all you do is literally "bounce" your foundation onto your skin.  It's also great at  blending out harsh edges of blush and contour. 

6.  Rimmel Vinyl Gloss in 270 Fashion Icon - I've got a real thing for anything coral or orange (if you haven't already noticed!).  This gloss is not sticky and can give a nice sheer coverage or layered to a hot orange colour!  I'm sure I'll be buying another one of these in a month as I'm using it every day!

7.  Stila Duo eyeshadow in Kitten - Oh this is such a lovely duo, just the right amount of satin to give your eyes a lovely pop!  I like to use the pinker side all over my mobile lid and then put a touch of the gold side right in the middle of my lid.  Heaven!

8.  Maybelline Dream Lumi touch Highlighting Concealer - I bought this in Light as I wanted to use it to highlight my skin with a matte product, I use this in an upside down triangle shape under my eyes, down the middle of my nose and on my cupid's bow to bring light to the middle of my face.  Don't forget to blend out.....yes, as you guessed it enter the Beauty Blender right here!

9.  Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Liner - for those of you who suck at putting liquid liner on yourself, go out and get yourself one of these stat!  It has a long pen shaped applicator and basically all you have to  do is rest it on your upper lash line to get a lovely line.  Repeat all the way along your lash line and then to create a cat eye flick, just angle the nib at the invisible line from the side of your nose to the end of your brows, place the line and fill it in.  I'm not saying you'll get if first time (snaps to those of you who do!) but just some practice and patience and in no time you'll be cat eyeing it all over the place!

10.  Maybelline The Colossal Volume Express Cat Eyes - Yes, another mascara has taken over the coveted top spot.....this has a curved wand and a proper brush and gives me long lush lashes that I love......no more explanation needed.

So, which of my Top 10  do you already use and love and which ones are you off to buy?

 

x

 
 

How I Clean My Skin with my Clarisonic Mia

Hi Everyone!!

Today is a skin care post and how I clean my own skin from dirt, makeup and bacteria.

For approximately 9 months I've been using the Clarisonic Mia (www.clarisonic.com).  The Clarisonic uses a sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, but thoroughly clean your face and remove makeup up to 6 times better than cleansing with your hands.

The best bit about using a Clarisonic is it only works for 1 minute at a time, so they recommend you use it for (*) 20 seconds on your forehead, 20 seconds on your nose and chin and then 10 seconds for each cheek.  It is gentle enough to  use twice daily, however your skin my have a "purge" when you first use it so it's best to  use it 2 -3 times in the first week and then work up to  being able to use it twice a day.

I have the Clarisonic Mia, however there are 5 different versions on the market, Mia, Mia 2, Aria, Plus and Pro and ranging in price from $150.00 to  $300.00.  It has a charger and normally I need to charge my Clarisonic every 10 days for 12 hours.  The Clarisonic also comes with different speeds depending on the type you buy as well as different brush heads.  You will need to replace your brush head every 3 months to maintain clean skin.  The brush heads retail for around $30.00 each.  You can also purchase Clarisonic specific cleansers from them, and when purchasing your Clarisonic you should receive a sample cleanser.  However, I use whichever cleanser I'm currently using (I switch it up on a daily basis) and have had no issues.  I've even used a gentle cream/gel exfoliator with my Clarisonic. 

How I use my Clarisonic:

1.  Wet the brush head and gently pat your face with water.

2.  Place a 10 cent piece size of cleanser on your Clarisonic.

3.  Gently move the Clarisonic over your face as listed above (*).

4.  Rinse off cleanser with water (I use a face washer from The Body Shop).

5.  Apply your serum, eye cream, moisturiser as normal.

Honestly, this has helped clear my skin up and I as I wear make up on a daily basis it helps keep my skin unbelievably clean.  I've also done the test of comparing using the Clarisonic to clean my make up off and used my hands and the amount of make up still left on my skin when I used a toner was ridiculous.  All that make up was still in my pores and I was putting serums and moisturisers on afterwards, no wonder my skin was so congested!

I purchased my Clarisonic from a recommended eBay supplier, as it is from the US, I did have to find an Australian plug for the charger. 

If you want to have clear skin, then this is the product for you!

x

Face of the Day.....Flawless Make Up!

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm going to show you my "go to" face look when I want to look like I have flawless skin and that no make up look that actually does end up using a few products.  The products I've used are both high end and chemist brands.

Here's all the products I used:

 

 

And this is how they look on me:

 

Now for the product break down:

FACE:

* Face of Australia Face Base Primer
* Benefit The PoreFessional
* Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation in Natural Beige
* Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Concealer
* The Body Shop Pressed Powder in 05


CHEEKS and BROWS:

* Benefit Brows a-go-go
* Sleek Contour Kit (highlighter only) in Light
* Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer (slight contour)
* NARS Orgasm Blush


EYES:

* Urban Decay Primer Potion
* NYX Eyeshadow Base in Skintone
* Stila Kitten eyeshadow duo
* Covergirl Lashblast Length (bottom lashes)
* Urban Decay Super Curling Mascara (top lashes)


LIPS:

* Rimmel Stay Glossy Lipgloss in Stay My Rose


Hope you all have a great day!  And let me know if you'd like to see more Face of the Day looks......

What are your products you use for that "go to" natural look?

Dreaming of Summer.........OOTD!

I've been watching lots of haul videos (from the Northern Hemisphere) and they're all showing gorgeous spring/summer clothes and as autumn and winter approach in Australia I thought I'd post an OOTD from last month......

Floral and Nude.....

 

I'm wearing a White Cami from Cotton On, Floral Top from Ice Designs, Nude Shorts from Ice Designs and Sandals from Volcom.

I love all the colours in this top, the pop of coral with the nude and taupe colours is so fresh!

I matched my jewellery to the colours in my top with a white and bronze beaded heart bracelet, a pinky-coral wooden bracelet, a nude material bangle and my silver Pandora bracelet.

Hair was just pulled back into a messy top knot and make up was simple with BB cream, concealer, powder, blush, brow powder, mascara and gloss!

Who else is dreaming of summer now we're heading into winter?

Outfit of the Day - Peplum Top and Pink!

Hi Everyone!!

Wowzers has it been hot in Queensland or what!?!?

Today I'm showing you a cute Outfit of the Day that is will keep you cool and still look cute.....

My cute little white peplum top is from Forever New and my light pink shorts are from Big W

The peplum top is super cute and features an exposed zip at the front and exposed panelling at the back (sorry there's no photo of the back my phone camera decided to have a hissy fit)

Jewellery was kept to a minimum and I wore  all silver - my ring is cute and spells out 'love' ; it looks perfect with my Pandora bracelet

I went super casual with  foowear and teamed my outfit with a pair of light pink thongs that have a diamonte detail

When it's this hot I like to tie my hair up into a topknot!

Make Up kept to the bare minimum:

Rimmel BB Cream

Maybelline Age Defying Concealer

Maybelline Dream Matte Powder

NARS bronzer

Benefit blush

Benefit highlighter

Revlon Colorstay Cream Eyeshadow

Benefit Brow Zings

Covergirl and L'Oreal Mascara

Revlon Lip Butter

What do you wear to keep cool in Summer?

How to Get Clear Skin: Pore Strips!

Hi Everyone,

Today I'm going to  share another one of my tips to help achieve clear skin.....Pore Strips!!

I only started using these about 2 months ago, when I was browsing the supermarket, I was actually looking for something a little bit more deep cleansing (due to the full coverage make up I have to wear for my job). 

I remember Pore Strips being around when I was in my teens, although I never tried them then, I do remember some of my friends saying they really hurt.

Well I'm a lot braver now (and my pain threshold is higher) so I thought I'd buy some of the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips.  I purchased the Combo kit which has 7 Ultra Nose Strips and 7 Face Strips.

 The idea behind these Pore Strips is that you shouldn't be squeezing blackheads, as it can damage your skin or even create more problems.  The Pore Strips hve a bonding ingredient that locks onto and removes deep down dirt.

How I use the strips:

1.  Remove the pore strip I want to use - take it out of the individual pouch and twist the strip to separate the slits.

2.  Wet the area of your face (make sure your face is clean and free from make up!).

3.  Dry your hands, peel the strip off plastic liner, apply to the skin and press down to ensure good contact with the skin (it should feel like a sticker stuck to your skin).

4.  Let it dry for around 10-15 minutes, the pore strip will start to feel like paper mache.

5.  Slowly and carefully peel off the strip, starting out the edges and pulling towards the centre.

6.  Look at all the dirt on the strip that's now not in your skin!!

As I have a pretty intense skin care routine I only use these once a fortnight, but you could use them twice a week.  However it is noted not to use more than once every 3 days on the same area of the face.

You can purchase the Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips in just nose strips or face strips or the combo pack.  All strip packs are available at supermarkets and department stores for under $12.00.

Are you tempted to strip?

How to Get Clear Skin - Mask Time!

Hi  Everyone!!

So, I'm now going to be doing a few skin care blog posts, I personally have had a good (and strict) skin care routine since I was 11.  I've always cleansed, toned, treated and moisturised my skin.  In the past couple of years I've really amped up my skin care routine to include more intense masks and serums.

I love applying a mask and one of my favourite masks is The Body Shop Warming Mineral Mask.  As the title suggests it warms up on the skin (thanks to the kaolin clay), it's an extremely deep cleansing and oil absorbing mask.

I like to use a mask once a week, however if you've never used a mask before you may find your skin will break out the first few times you use them, don't let this put you off, because usually about the 4-6 week mark you'll be well on your way to clear skin.  You do need to keep up the routine, I've found that if I've accidently skipped a week of no mask, my skin will usually break out a little bit.

You can purchase The Body Shop products online, in store or via your At Home Consultant (me!) and it's RRP is $28.95. 

How I use the mask:

*  Wet my face
*  Apply all over my face

*  Leave on for 10 minutes (the mask doesn't dry it stays wet)
*  Remove with a soft washer
*  Cleanse, tone, moisturise as normal

What kind of mask do you like to use?