Holy Grail Skincare Products

We all have some skincare products that work wonders for our skin and are hard to part with. I have found some really amazing products that I will not regret repurchasing all my life.

First off we have Origins Drink Up- Intensive, this mask is geared towards people with dry skin but I have oily, combination and skin and love using it during the winter. This mask isn't like a traditional mask that you apply and take off in a few minutes, this is more like a deep hydrating moisturiser that you put on at night before bed and you wake up to soft supple skin the morning. I also used this during my trip to India in the flight. We all know how important it is to stay hydrated in long flights as the air conditioning dries out your skin. I took it in a tiny sample container and applied this on my face when I felt my skin was feeling tight and dry. If you are scared to use this on oily skin just grab a sample next time you are at Mecca or Kit and I assure you are going to love it. 

Next up is the Glam Glow Youthmud Mask, this product is not cheap but the results it delivers are amazing. I got a sample sachet of this from my friend Nalini and just chucked it in my sample drawer thinking it was just a waste of time. Then I saw some videos on youtube which featured this product and immediately tried it on. I am not exaggerating but the results this mask gives is phenomenal. My skin feels cleansed, pores look smaller, overall complexion looks brighter and so soft that I always want to keep touching my face. This size that I have here is a smaller size available for $22. I probably would get around 4 uses out of this and I think it is completely worth it. I am not sure if Mecca gives out samples of this mask but if you can grab a sample, just try it out and you will go running back for more.

Another hyped- overpriced product is the Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum that I am running low of and desperately waiting to stock up on. I bought this serum last year around October and have used it since almost every night. I can totally tell the difference when I don't use it on some nights as my skin feels very dry and dull looking. When I use this product I do not use a toner as I want this to be the first product to sink into my skin after I have cleansed it. I do wake up with healthier, radiant looking skin when I use this product.

Last but no the least is this Tarte Maracuja oil which I again use only at night over the EL ANR. This product is hard to find in Australia but there are some websites that do ship Tarte products here and the prices are almost 4 times the original cost. I wouldn't mind paying that much because I know this product works for me. You only need 3-4 drops for your entire face and neck and this oil smooths out the skin's texture but does not feel heavy or oily. I have tried rosehip oil before but I think this does do a lot more for my skin than any other traditional rosehip oil. 

Do you have skincare products that you will keep repurchasing? Let me know what works for you in the comments below.

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The Sparkling Soiree Melbourne Blogger Event

Hey guys,

I attended the Sparkling Soiree a few weeks ago, which is a blogger/ vlogger event organised by the lovely Jasmine from Sweetaholic Beauty and Melissa from Bbubbles16. It was held at The Gallery Room in the city which was a beautiful cosy event room. 

The event started off with Erin performing a facial on Bethany and then the gorgeous ladies from John Plunkett, Benefit and LonVitalite gave us product demos and information. 

Melbourne Bloggers

All the items in the goodie bag

I had a fun afternoon and got to meet so many new bloggers from Melbourne. We also got a goodie bag filled with amazing products from Bobbi Brown, Lush, Shangai Suzy, John Plunkett, Hydraluron, Lonvitalite, Benefit, Sugarpill, Babe, Ardell, Enbacci etc. 

I really look forward to more events organized by The Sparkling Soiree, it was a good way to learn about new products and meet some wonderful girls from the blogging world.

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Ivory Lash Review

Hey guys,

Those who read my blog may know that I love false lashes and when I saw Ivory Lash on Instagram, I knew I had to try them out. 

Ivory Lash- "So this is how our story begun. Based in Sydney, we feel it is about time that affordable mink lashes are made available in Australia. We searched high and low to find a supplier that abide to our standards of quality and guaranteed no cruelty free practices. Luckily for us we found it, and we want to share this excitement with you. At Ivory Lash our mission is to enhance your naturally radiant eyes, we want all women of all ages to discover their inner goddess to feel confident and beautiful. Our products are made of the finest mink hair and handcrafted to ensure the quality of each lash. Each strand of lash is carefully placed onto a flexi cotton band to give your eyes a voluminous natural look. Mink lashes have a natural shine and luscious property that is almost indistinguishable to our own lashes. These lashes are especially comfortable for everyday use as they are soft and light as feather. No wonder mink false lashes quickly become an essential makeup accessory loved by many celebrities."

I have never tried Mink lashes before and although they are very expensive I find the quality of lashes remarkable. For everyone who has never tried false lashes before, I would recommend to try Mink Lashes atleast once and you are going to be hooked.  

The lashes I bought are the "Smitten Kitten" from the Natural collection. They come in a neat cardboard box with a plastic insert which hold the lashes. These lashes are as light as a feather and super luxurious feeling. This particular style starts off shorter at the inner corners, cris-crossing its way to the outer corners where the strands are longer. I personally find lashes on a thick band very uncomfortable and prefer lashes that have an invisible lash band. But Mink lashes have to have some support thus are on a thick cotton band. To my surprise these lashes were very comfortable to wear and I did not even feel them on my eyes. They also blend in very naturally and don't look as though I am wearing lashes. I don't like very long lashes as they look quite unnatural on me and these have the perfect length that I look for in lashes.

These lashes are also reusable to about 20-25 times if you take care of them so that comes down to $1 per application which is not bad at all, considering human hair / synthetic lashes can be used 4-5 times and retail for half the price but come down to $3-4 per application. The picture above is after 4 uses of the lashes and they still look like brand new.

Overall I am very happy with the quality of Ivory Lash in Smitten Kitten and would definitely love to try out more styles especially from their Plush collection. These lashes retail for $25 and can be bought from here.

Lust Have It Fab Box July 2014 Review

Hey guys,

I have been a member of the Lust Have it! beauty subscription service for quite sometime and had never tried the Fashion box called Fab Box. A few months ago I received a $20 coupon to use against any of Lust Have it's boxes so I thought why not give the Fab Box a try. 

The Fab box costs $35 monthly and you get 4-5 Fashion and Beauty items. The items I received in the July Fab Box are 

Marsk Tassie Tan- Mineral Bronzer RRP $45, 3.5gm

Achieve your beach- fresh look with this wonderful soft chocolate, fine natural mineral bronzer exclusively from Marsk. Consisting of pure, natural minerals with built in SPF protection, Marsk Mineral based loose powder is 100% natural and strictly cruelty free (not tested on animals) Full Size.

Marsk Mineral Blush Watermelon RRP $45, 3.5gm

A wonderful, all natural blush that works with all skin shades. Marsk Mineral Blush cosists of pure, natural minerals which are deeply pigmented so you will only need a little to achieve that perfect blushed cheek. 100% natural, mineral based loose powder that are strictly cruelty free (not tested on animals) Full Size.

Designer Brands Outrageous Volume Mascara RRP $9.99

Outrageous Volume Mascara is a mega impact volume mascara that will give you bold and dense lashes for a show stopping look. Easy to apply, the formula glides on effortlessly leaving extra-black lashes that are dark and dense thanks to the ultra-black pigmented formula. Full Size

LHI Accessories Beautiful Blue Print Scarf RRP $24.95

This beautiful blue print scarf adds warmth and style to your winter outfit. Style tip: Try wearing it with warm shades such as orange or red for a stand- out look.

LHI Accessories Teal Bib Necklace RRP $19.95

This gorgeous deep teal and gold bib necklace is the perfect accessory to glam up any outfit. Style Tip: Try teaming it with against a contrast colour such as purple to make your outfit pop.

I am not a huge fan of the makeup received but I could use them as eyeshadows instead. The mascara has a nice consistency and it has a standard mascara bush. I will have to use it a bit more to see how I like it.

The teal necklace is the most exciting product for me in this box. I love teal jewelry and this is going to be a great pop of colour for the winter as well as when we head into spring. The scarf that I got is a very sheer cotton scarf that will be great in spring and summer because it is very light.

Overall I am quite impressed and would definitely stay subscribed to this service.

Have you tried any fashion and beauty boxes? What do you think of them?

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Milani Blushes Haul and Swatches

Hey guys,

Those who follow me on Instagram may know that I bought a bunch of Milani blushes from Cherry Culture and Beauty Joint recently and here I am sharing with you the swatches of the blushes I bought and my initial thoughts. 

L-R Amber Nectar, Beauty's Touch, Romantic Rose, Dolce Pink and Bella Rosa

L-R Amber Nectar, Beauty's Touch, Romantic Rose, Bella Rosa and Dolce Pink

L-R Amber Nectar, Beauty's Touch, Romantic Rose, Bella Rosa and Dolce Pink

I bought two illuminating face powders in Amber Nectar which is the coral and Beauty's Touch which is the pink. These illuminating powders give a hint of colour if used heavily. On light skin tones these may pull of as blushes but on Medium- Dark skintones these act more as highlighters to give you that subtle glow. I also love the rose detail work on these powders. 

Next up I bought two of the baked blushes out of which one is matte. Dolce pink is a shimmery pink blush that is pigmented enough to show up on very dark skin tones too. Bella Rosa is a hot pink matte blush. This blush is very very pigmented. You will only need a tiny bit even on the darkest of skin tones.

Lastly I bought the Limited Edition blush in Romantic Rose which is a natural mauve matte blush. I bought this mainly for the detail on the blush. It is shaped like a rose and again it is very pigmented so I don't need a lot of product for it to show up on my skin.

Overall I love the quality of these blushes and highly recommend them if you can get hold of them.I have tried the Milani Baked blush in Luminoso but unfortunately that never showed up on my skin so I had to give it away. I usually buy my Milani products from Cherry Culture and Beauty Joint. They are both very good websites and provide International shipping.

Have you tried the Milani Blushes before? What do you think of them?

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Priceline 40% off Skincare Haul

Hey guys,

 If you live in Australia you might have heard and even bought some skincare products from the Priceline 40% off sale. I had a long list products I really wanted to try and was keenly waiting for this sale. 

Almost all of these products I have not tried before but heard great things about. The Witch Hazel Toner is my only repurchase.  L'oreal's New Skin Perfecting range is all over the blogger/youtuber world and I am running out of my Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair serum so I am very keen on seeing how this product performs. I also bought the Skin Perfection Magic Touch blur primer to use under my makeup. 

The Tarte Maracuja oil is one of my skin saviours and because of its unavailabilty in Australia I picked up the Swisse Maracuja oil. I hope this works as well as the Tarte oil. I was looking for the Palmers facial exfoliator but couldn't find it so I picked up the Indeed Exfoliator, again which is very talked about in the blogger/ vlogger world. 

I have read about the brand Formula 10.0.6 in a lot of blogs and bought these two face masks to try out.  Another brand I heard about recently is the Milk and Co. I read about the Face cleanser and Body Scrub on KitschSnitch's blog post and I trust her choices so I picked them up to try. Lastly I picked up a pack of facial wipes from Fuss Free Naturals, I don't use face wipes often but lately I have been wearing very minimal makeup and I have been wiping my face with face wipes at night instead of using a makeup remover. I don't like face wipes with alcohol so I am glad this one is all natural.

Milk Body Scrub $14.99 - $6 = $9

Milk Cleanser $16.99 - $6.79 = $10.20

Indeed Exfoliator $34.99 - $14 = $20.99

L'oreal Serum $29.99 - $11.99 = $18

Swisse Maracuja Oil $19.99 - $8 = $11.99

Fuss Free Naturals Wipes $6.99 - $2.79 = $4.20

Witch Hazel Toner $6.59 - $2.64 = $3.95

L'oreal Perfect Blur $22.99 - $9.19 = $13.80

10.0.6 Deep Down Mask $1.99 - $0.80 = $1.19

10.0.6 Pores Be Pure Mask $1.99 - $0.80 = $1.19

Total $157.50 - $63 = $94.50

I did spend a bit but I am glad to have not purchased these products full price. This way even if I do not like them atleast I got them on discounted prices and it doesn't hurt that much.

What did you pick up from the Priceline Sale? Have you tried any of these products before? Let me know what you think of them in the comments I would love to know.

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Face of the Day featuring Chi Chi products.

Hey guys, I recently bought my very first Chi Chi foundation and lipstick and instead of reviewing them seperately, I thought of doing a face of the day and talk about the products. For this makeup look I used the Chi Chi Fabulous and Flawless foundation in No. 7 Medium Natural. For my eyes I used the Rich Gems palette with the gold colour all over my lid and the bronze shade in the outer corner and blended it through the crease. For a pop of colour I used the purple and maroon shade and ran that under my lower lashline. For the lips I used the Viva La Diva Matte lipstick in Social Climber. Other products such as mascara, blush, eyebrow products were all from other brands so I won't go through those here. 

 

First up lets talk about the Fabulous and Flawless Foundation RRP $29.95- ChiChi says "A beautiful new oil free foundation that is ultra-light weight, with medium yet build-able coverage. Long wearing smudge-proof staying power with an easy glide-on application. Skin looks and feels soft, fresh and natural. Colour true, even looking shades. Super moisturising and super hydrating, this unique foundation is Antioxidant enriched with Vitamins A, E & B5. With continual use helps reduce the appearance of fine lines. Paraben Free and ideal for all skin types including sensitive skin. made in Italy with Love!"

The foundation box has the name of the shade and also a little description of the colour skin tone it will match. Like No.7 Medium Natural would suit people with medium skin and neutral undertones. the bottle itself is made of glass so feels nice and heavy, it comes with a pump which is a must have for liquid foundation. As for the foundation itself I must say I agree with half of their claims; This foundation is smooth, buildable, hydrating and gives a very natural looking finish. I don't think it is very long wearing because I wore this for 10 hours but it started fading and got my T-zone quite oily after 7 hours of wear. I do like setting it with my Rimmel Stay Matte powder and that helps my face stay oil free for longer. Without setting it with a powder it lasts only about 4-5 hours after which my face looks like a grease ball. 

Two layers gives me a medium coverage but for my spots I do have to go in with a concealer as more layers of this foundation does look very cakey. The colour selection is pretty good as it comes in 10 different shade so you are most likely to find a good match, but I do recommend trying it out first because it oxidizes and you don't want to look like an oompah-loompah, do you? This shade No.7 would suit people between NC40- 42 in MAC. Be warned though that this foundation has a very strong perfume scent to it which I could smell from my face even an hour after application. 

Chi Chi Glamorous Eyeshadow Palette in Rich Gems RRP $22.95 - "Chi Chi's collection of velvety soft, highly pigmented eye shadows are easily blended to create individual looks. They may be worn sheer or dramatic, wet or dry to reflect your mood or desire."

I have owned this palette for almost a year now and as much as I love the colours the only draw back for me is the consistency. These shadows are slightly blendable and pigmented but they have so much fallout. Even if I pick up the tiniest bit of colour I tap my brush out 3-4 times still I have flecks of shimmer on my cheeks. If they weren't so dry and powdery maybe they would have been my holy grail eyeshadows. Not a huge fan but I will still use it because the colours are lovely.

Lastly we have the Chi Chi Viva La Diva lipstick in Social Climber RRP $18.95 - "Viva La Diva ... all will hail when they notice your dramatic, richly coloured pout. These super saturated, ultra pigmented lipsticks glide on effortlessly leaving a velvety-smooth, long wearing, hydrated finish. Enriched with Beeswax, Calendula, Vitamin E, Evening Primrose and Jojoba Oils these lipsticks are non drying and very moisturising whilst at the same time drowning your lips with super rich, fashion hues. "

First off all a big thumbs up to Chi Chi for the packaging. These lipsticks look so pretty on your vanity you are going to be tempted to buy more. They come in a whopping 42 shades with different finishes like matte, cream and metallic. The lipstick I have is in the matte finish and is described as a rosy beige nude. Like all matte lipsticks I thought this would be quite drying on my lips too so I prepped my lips with a lip balm before putting it on. The application was quite easy as it did not tug or pull on my lips and felt very creamy. It did dry to a matte finish which felt quite uncomfortable after an hour of application (maybe because I have dry lips at the moment). Again this lipstick has a weird scent/ taste which is similar to the Rimmel Apocalips which I hate from the bottom of my heart. That is my personal opinion but if you don't mind the scent go ahead and purchase this lipstick because it is a nice lipstick. It lasted on me for 4 hours without any touch ups but faded when I had lunch. Because this is a matte formula reapplying may accentuate the dryness of your lips. Make sure you have well scrubbed, moisturized lips before applying this lipstick.

So those were all my thoughts on the Chi Chi products that I created this look with. You can purchase Chi Chi from Myer, Target or Online.

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