Lust Have It FAB Box August 2014

Hey guys,

I recieved the August Lust Have it FAB box a few days ago and I want to share with you the contents of this box. 

For those who don't know what the FAB box is, It is a monthly subscription service by Lust Have it which contains 4-5 Fashion and Beauty items each month. This box is a little more expensive than the Lust Have it Beauty box and retails for $35. I joined this service because I was quite impressed with the contents last month and I thought it was totally worth the $35 you spend each month.

In this month's box we got the products in a pink mesh bag, which I really like because its a fine mesh and can be used for so many things. The products included three Butter London nail polishes in Lovely Jublee, which is a purple glitter nail polish with pink, red and blue glitter in it; British Racing Green which is a metallic dark forest green and Crumpet which is a nude skintone beige colour. Although I really like the colours I am not a nail polish person and don't wear it at all. I would have been happier if they had included atleast one makeup item instead of three nail polishes. Nonetheless, Butter London is a very good brand for nail polishes and they are quite expensive too. Here they say it retails for $22 each but when I checked online on Adore Beauty, I found these three colours were on sale for $19.95 each, which is still quite expensive for one nail polish. 

There were also some vouchers included this month, but I don't use them so they went straight in the bin.

This box also came with two beautiful jewelry peices which I am totally in love with. I have nothing like these in my collection and they are great for the spring and summer. The quality of the jewelery is quite nice and heavy and definitely don't feel cheap. I don't think they are worth the price it says on the card, like you could get stuff like this from Colette and Lovisa for around $12-$20, but nonetheless they are still very pretty and I love them.

Overall I am quite impressed although I would have loved atleast one makeup item instead of so many nail polishes. Still this box was worth well more than $35 and I can't wait for the next box to come out. 

Have you subscribed to any Fashion and Beauty Boxes? Do you think they are worth it?

My Winter Morning Skincare Routine

Hey guys,

Winter is almost over but I wanted to share with you my morning skincare routine that helped me beat the cold dry weather. Although we are now headed into spring I think I can continue this routine till we hit summer, where I might have to switch up a product or two.

Anyways as for now, I have been cleansing my face and applying a thin layer of Indeed Hydraluron- Everyone in the beauty community knows about this revolutionary product. I first thought it was a gimmic and went off it for a month. Thats when I noticed it did make a difference to my skin. My skin felt and looked more supple when I used this product. So I am back to it now and its here to stay. I already have a back up incase I run out of it.

While the Hydraluron dries I apply my favourite lip balm at the moment- Chapstick Cake Batter on my lips and also the Origins Super Spot Remover on any inflammed or obvious acne. I know this spot treatment is to be done on clean skin but I find this way it works better for me. While that dries I go onto my eyes and apply my Boots Serum 7 Anti Wrinkle Eyecream. I haven't noticed any anti-wrinkling happening under my eyes but this stuff helps keep my undereyes hydrated and also helps the concealer to not crease. 

Lastly I moisturize my face and neck with the L'oreal Youth Code Luminosity Moisturiser. This moisturiser has a nice sheen ( not exactly shimmer but very fine micro shimmers) in it and helps my skin look radiant. Even though I have oily combination skin, anything that helps my skin look glowy during the dry winter months are my best friends. 

Do you change your skin care products depending on the season? 

L'oreal Infallible foundation Review

Hey guys,

I picked up the new L'oreal Infallible foundation a few weeks ago when they were on sale at Priceline and have been using it religiously since then. I have tested it a lot and think I can give you a really honest review about this foundation now. (Warning- Pic Heavy)

L'oreal - A make-up with superior hold and moisturising comfort for 24 hour flawless coverage, no touch ups required. Fighting imperfections and shine without compromising on moisture,  skin is left truly infallible.  With the added benefit of Hyaluronic fresh complex, skin is kept refreshed, hydrated and flawless with a foundation that lasts all day without ever caking or drying.

RRP $31.95

I am in the colour 150 Radiant Beige and this foundation comes in 7 shades ranging from the lightest being Vanilla and the darkest being Honey. I am an NC 37-40 in MAC and this shade suits me perfectly.

This foundation claims to have full coverage and ingredients to give a flawless hydrated base. I completely agree with the claims L'oreal have made, as this foundation is pretty darn impressive. I have very uneven skin with a lot of acne spots. By applying multiple thin layers, I can achieve almost full coverage (for my liking) with only this foundation. If I want to look completely flawless I will add a tiny bit of concealer but most days its only this foundation on my face. 

Left- Unblended, Right Blended over green vein In Shade.

Left- Unblended, Right Blended over green vein In direct sunlight.

I have used this foundation with multiple products and I am going to tell you what my favourite combo is. We will start with primer, I found that using a water based primer opposed to a silicone based one works really well and helps blend the foundation into the skin better. With a foundation like this it is very easy to have too much on your face. I have tried multiple brushes, sponges and my fingers but the best applicator I found for this foundation is the Real Techniques Buffing brush. Also use thin layers instead of putting on two pumps in one application, or else it cakes like crazy. Another thing I found with this foundation was using a loose powder to set it gives a flawless look, but using a pressed powder completely ruins the look. 

As you can see in the above pics I have blended the foundation over my wrist which has some veins showing and this foundation really covers the colour pretty well with just one this layer.

My favourite primer to use under the L'oreal Infallible foundation is the Australis Primer and I like setting it with the Australis Ready Set Go finishing powder. All these three products go really well together.

FOTD Wearing the Infallible foundation.

I do work long hours and have tested this foundation for 11 hours after application. It does emphasize dry patches so make sure to exfoliate and moisturize really well. First of all it oxidises so it is safe to go a shade lighter than you normally would. Secondly, you have to set it with a powder if you have oily/ combination skin or else you will look like a grease ball in 6 hours. Even with a powder I find that close to 7 hours I get a tiny bit shiny but blotting it with a tissue seems to fix the problem. After 9 hours there is some patchiness around my chin and nose. At the 10 hour mark it faded away from my forehead and cheek but not drastically. It didn't last 24 hours as it claims because I haven't tried it for that long but 10 hours is pretty long too so I am not complaining.

Overall I think this is a really good foundation if you are someone who doesn't have the time to touch up during the day and would like a flawless even finish. I do highly recommend this foundation if you can find your shade match which is my only complaint.

Have you tried the Infallible line from L'oreal? What do you think of it??

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MAC Osbournes Collection- My picks and swatches

Hey guys,

Most of you would know MAC collaborated with Sharon and Kelly Osbourne and came out with a really fun collection that is now available in Australia online and in store.

I picked up a few products from the collection and I am quite impressed with them. From the Sharon Osbourne collection I picked up the blush in Peaches and Cream and lip pencil in Cranberry. From Kelly's collection I picked up the blush in Cheeky Bugger and lipstick in Kelly Yum Yum.

I really like both collections packaging which is red for Sharon and a light lilac for Kelly. Also Sharon's packaging is more glossy and Kelly's packaging gives a satin/ soft look. All the products have the corresponding signatures on them, which I thought was really cool. 

So now onto what I think of the products, the Cranberry lip pencil is a gorgeous medium reddish pink which looks really good on its own or topped of with a nude or clear gloss. I am going to be using this pencil a lot during spring and summer. Peaches and Cream blush is a gorgeous pink colour that looks absolutely beautiful on the cheeks. The consistency is a little hard but I get that with all MAC blushes. That does not hinder the pigmentation of this blush, you only need a little product for a full impact. The finish if this blush is Satin and there is no shimmer or glitter in this blush but it is not completely matte too.

Kelly's blush in Cheeky Bugger is a little disappointing because it is a little too light for my complexion. I can still work with it now, but in summer when I get a little tanned this would completely wash me out.  It is a light baby pink colour with warm undertones. When I swatched this shade I had tiny flex of glitter transfer to my swatch. The finish of this blush is Satin too but I am not sure if mine had a teeny tiny bit of glitter in by mistake. Lastly I got the lipstick in Kelly Yum Yum which is a bright candy pink  with more warm undertones. 

In shade L-R Cranberry, Peaches and Cream, Kelly Yum Yum, Cheeky Bugger.

In direct sunlight L-R Cranberry, Peaches and Cream, Kelly Yum Yum, Cheeky Bugger.

As you can see in the above swatch there are some flex of glitter on Cheeky Bugger. It did not transfer to my cheek but I could see some in the pan too. 

Overall I think this was a very nice collection with some really different colours and my top picks would be the Cranberry Lip pencil and Peaches and Cream blush. Both these products would look good on a wide variety of skin tones.

Did you buy anything from this collection? What are your top picks??

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Benefit Haul

Hey guys,

I ordered a few things from the Benefit US website and wanted to share with you the products I bought. The main reason I wanted to place an order was because I wanted to try the Lolli Balm as it was not released in Australia but it has released now and you can buy it from Benefit counters at Myer for $26. 

It is definitely cheaper to purchase Benefit from the US website if you want to try out a few products as they have free international shipping if you spend over $125. 

Now onto the products I bought.

First off we have the Lolli balm RRP USD $18 which is a new release by Benefit and it is a tinted lip balm. I love the candy pink packaging and it smells delicious. 

Next I purchased the Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation in I'm all the rage Beige RRP USD $36.  The last single product I purchased was the boxed blush in Rockateur RRP USD $28, this is a gorgeous neutral blush shade which I am really into these days. 

Watts Up has been on my 'to buy' list since last month when I saw it being demonstrated at the Sparkling Soiree event I attended. I took advantage of the 'Customize your own kit' in which you can select 4 products from various categories for $79. It all comes in a cute makeup bag which I forgot to include in the picture. 

I picked up the Porefessional Agent Zero Shine powder, Watts Up, Boing Concealer in number 3 and also the Hydra smooth lip colour in Talk Flirty. I did save $20 by opting for this kit instead of buying all these products individually.

For the free samples I chose the It's Potent eyecream and Triple performing facial emulsion.

Overall I paid $170 AUD for all these products and if I bought them from here I would have had to pay around $268. Thats savings of almost $100!!

If you really want to try out some Benefit products I highly recommend buying them from the US website. Maybe ask a few friends and make a joint order. I am really excited to have a play around with my new products.

Have you tried the new Benefit tinted lip balms? What do you think of them?

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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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