Mask Mumbles

Today I am having a lazy day, which consists of lounging around watching youtube, reading blogs and writing blogs! I thought I would make some use of my lazing by putting on a mask. I chose to use the Queene Helene Mint Julip Mask as it's the only one I currently own! I enjoy the smell of this mask, I am such a fan of mint scented things.

Sorry for the dreary witch face! This mask is designed to help dry up pimples and clear blackheads. I quite like it (probably mostly the smell). However I have my eye on either a Jurlique or Aesop mask to try next time, as they are more readily available in Australia. I am undecided on which one to try yet.

This is the mask and a little handy hint about how I apply it. I have an old Napoleon Perdis foundation brush that cost me an arm and a leg back in the day of painting your foundation on, as I no longer find this the best way to apply foundation and I certainly wasn't going to throw this old love away I have been using it to 'paint' my face mask on. It works a treat, you have less wastage and it applies the mask where you want it, not in your hair or down your neck. It's also much cleaner and quicker to apply the mask. To remove I just use a muslin cloth soaked in warm water, which works nicely and with less splashing water everywhere. 

Excuse me whilst I continue lazing about!

Meghan

Xx

Oh La Spoilt!

My very lovely brother and his girlfriend just returned from Europe and me being a lucky baby sister I got well spoilt with presents!

The first thing in the picture is not beauty related but food related, it's an olive oil infused with chilli, rosemary and peppercorns... Yum! Brother tells me it will be divine drizzled over some homemade pizza and I cannot wait to try it! I might just pop down to the supermarket and get some ingredients and dinner for tonight is sorted! He picked up this lovely bottle from Italy. It also looks nice and posh sitting on the kitchen bench.

I am so excited about the next two things! Bioderma Crealine H2O! Yay! i have wanted this for a long time and as luck would have it I just ran out of my Boscia make up break up cleansing oil, so I was in need of a new makeup remover. I have tried this for the last couple of days and so far I love it, love it, love it. It's so easy to just swipe your makeup of with a cotton pad, feels super refreshing and doesn't leave an oily residue, I think I get on better with this than the cleansing oil. It is a micellar solution which combines oil and water molecules which makes for an effective yet gentle makeup remover. It feels lovely and cooling on the skin and doesn't sting my super sensitive eyes, I think I may be converted but I will have to continue using to confirm my love, lucky brother got me a 500ml bottle so it should last a little while.

The last thing I was spoilt with was the Caudalie eau de beaute (beauty elixir). Which I guess is like a spray on toner. I have been using it as a bit of a face refresher/ pick me up/ I feel ill and need something to calm my tummy! For those of you that do not like strong smelling, herbally type things this is not for you. It has strong smells of mint, rosemary and I'm terrible at describing scents! It's smelly and I like it! I  have been on night shift this week and this makes me feel ill and sleepy and I have been enjoying spraying this on my face to wake me up and settle me! I am also a big sufferer of motion sickness so I can see this being well used on long car trips! Oh I should mention that it also feels lovely on the face, tightens pores and revitalizes the complexion. 

So there you have it some wonderful French skincare spoils for me!

Let me know if you have tried these and what you think of them!

Meghan

Xx 

Lip Love

Terrible photo but I just could not get nice lighting anywhere! The idea is look at my red lips. I wore this to my cousin's 21st the other week and I have been enjoying these lips ever since, so I thought I would share it with you.

Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple and NYX Lip Liner in Hot Red.

Whoops! (The photo is blurry please don't go and get your eyes tested!) From left Lip Liner and Lip Butter.

Meghan

Xx

Finishers and Project 10 Pan update.

Here's a few products that I have used up since I have been AWOL from blogging, some are from my project 10 pan and then there is a few other products in there too!

Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream Sun Defense For Face SPF 50,  Sunscreen I mostly use this sort of sunscreen in Summer and when I'm on holidays. I don't have a lot to say about it its a sun cream and I guess it does what it says. I probably won't buy this one again as it was quite expensive and not that wonderful, also if you read my last blog I have gone Australia mad and this is made in the U.S.A. 

Umberto Giannini Morning After Dry Shampoo,  Dry shampoo is a great love of mine! I am currently growing out my blonde in an effort to have healthier hair and this means I am having major issues with oily roots, dry ends - enter dry shampoo my saviour! This particular one is alright it is made in Australia , bonus points! At the moment I am using the UK branded Batiste dry shampoo as it's what i had lying around and I think the batiste one is probably better as far as it's dry shampooing abilities are concerned.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream, This B.B. cream in my opinion is a glorified tinted moisturiser. It's light on the skin and adds a bit of a tint I quite like it, and would wear it to work. As far as being a miracle skin perfector I'm not convinced. I have seen better results skin wise with other B.B creams, but this is nice and easily found in supermarkets and priceline, and at abut $15 it doesn't break the bank.

Joico K-Pak Intense Hydrator, I'm not going to bang on about this to much as I have spoken about it before it's nice, smells great and makes hair feel lovely... WINNER!

Looky, looky who used up 4 more products from project 10 pan!

All of these products have reviews/ spiels about them in my project 10 pan post so enough said!

I should mention that the Napoleon Perdis foundation stick from the project 10 pan I threw out when I was exploring expired make-up as I had just owned it for way longer than is acceptable! 

Only 3 products to go!

Meghan 

Xx

I'm Back with some products from 'Down Under'

First of all I should start with an explanation as to why I haven't posted for a while (with my sincerest apologies) I have been having a lot of trouble with the internet connection at my house, it has been running very slow and sometimes not at all which has made it too hard to use.

Thankfully it has started working a bit better (fingers crossed it stays this way!) 

Anyways I'm back with a post about products/ brands that are close to my heart, being that  they are mostly Australian made/ owned. I am aware that some of you reading are not from Australia and therefore  the following may not hold much meaning to you and I'm sorry for this however maybe it will inspire you to find and use some products made in your home country.

For as long as I can remember my dad has always encouraged me to buy Australian and support our economy and this makes sense to me however sometimes it is hard to do given that the options are not always available and sometimes it's just so much cheaper to buy things elsewhere. In saying this recently I have been trying to bulk up the amount of products in my collection that are 'Aussie.' I am not saying that I have thrown out everything that is made elsewhere as some of my 'foreign' products I absolutely love and could never part with, but what I have been doing is as products run out and are used up I have been trying to replace them with Australian products. 

I am not going to do a full review on all the products, some are new, some I have been using for years, mostly I just wanted to share with you my new philosophy on my beauty products, and some examples of Australian brands. (sorry about the terrible photos)

Some great skin care brands include; Skinstitut, Jurlique, Rationale and Kosmea. I have recently given my whole skin care a bit of a shake up and have been absolutely loving threeFIX which is a three step skin care line for acne prone skin. To describe it in one word I would choose WOW! My skin is so much smoother and clearer that I feel more comfortable in it.
 I am also keen to try some of the Kora organics by Miranda Kerr line have any of you tried any products from this line?

I am a huge fan of DIY (do it yourself) and I love to save a buck where I can which brings me to a great waxing brand from Oz Waxaway which is owned by Caron Laboratories the brand behind the amazing award winning bump eraiser a superb ingrown hair treatment! There are so many great products out there that make at home waxing so easy and comfortable, my absolute favourite is the precision wax wand which make taming my (and my boys) eyebrows a breeze. I also dye my eyelashes at home too!
Does anyone have any DIY tips and suggestions for me?

Onto some everyday essentials my favourite whitening toothpaste is white glo it tastes yummy and is very foamy. A nightly routine that I have had for years is to rub some cuticle oil into my nails before bed and a staple in my routine is Dr Lewinn's Revitaoil.

Makeup; I am still hunting for some more Australian Makeup brands but I love Nude by nature and Rationale both of which don't irritate my skin and leave it looking fresh.
Next time I am out and about shopping I am probably going to try out some products from Bloom... Any suggestions?

Through my lust have it monthly subscription I have been introduced to a fantastic Australian hair care brand called davroe their products smell fantastic and are so beautiful on my hair, I am in love and can't wait to test out some more products from the range. I currently have an argan oil, heat protectant spray and a detangling spray.

Lastly some awesome body products Sugar Baby suntanned sweeties bronze radiance cream, this I have been using since I was in high school its fantastic to slather on before a night out, it gives you a beautiful bronze glow that washes off in the shower but lasts all night! For something that lasts a bit longer I have recently tried Rationale self tanner which gives a marvellous colour and doesn't have a horrid smell. Another new discovery of mine is Swisse body cream which is a new product on the market and I love it, it smells like oranges and bergamot (a couple of my favourite scents!) it absorbs really well and of course is Australian Made!

Thanks so much for reading I hope you enjoyed my rambling

I am very open to suggestions of brands/ products that are Australian made or Owned

Meghan
Xx

April Favourites!

Well I guess seeing as I did an April Finishers post I should probably also do an April Favourites post.

So April is the second month of Autumn and it has been a bit of a doozy weather wise this month from warm sunny days to freezing cold wet days, and I would say it's the latter which has most influenced my favourites this month.

As the weather changes and starts to get colder and colder I find my skin changing and getting drier and more dull so April brings moisturising products and Autumn colours out of my stash.

Jurlique Calendula Cream    This has been amazing to my poor skin which has been getting mighty confused with the weather changing. It's a very rich cream and I cannot use it all year round as it is sometimes a bit much. However for me this is like a comforter, it's super soothing, doesn't break me out  and when my skin is stressed (such as during season/weather changes) it helps with the irritation. Love it! My mum bought me this for my birthday, it's quite expensive lucky she got the big tube!

KOSMEA Skin Clinic certified organic rose hip oil    Fantastic little miracle in a bottle! This is a burnt orange coloured oil, that smells to me quite woody, I don't really like the smell but I can live with it. I put 3-4 drops on my face at night before I go to bed and i find I don't need to put a moisturiser on over the top, this is very moisturising and doesn't make my skin oily at all! It does however turn my skin a slight tinge of orange which is why I use it at night as opposed to during the day. A nice calming/ healing oil.

Colgate Savacol Antiseptic Mouth and Throat Rinse     As I said in a previous post I broke a tooth this month which was highly uncomfortable! I has been using this mouthwash after brushing/ eating as it contains chlorhexidine which is an antiseptic in hopes that it will prevent me getting an infection! I have already been to the dentist twice this month and will have to go twice next month :-( I am typically terrified of the dentist, but hopefully once all is well I will have faced my fear a bit not to mention broken the bank!!! Why are teeth such an expensive thing to maintain???

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in blush, Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie Swatches are the other way around (Lip butter first and lipstick second...WHOOPS!)

I received the Colorburst lipstick in a freebie bag from Priceline this month and have been loving it! It is definitely a colour I would have picked for myself, It is a neutral, mauve, pink kind of my lips but better! The formula is really nice and I think I will continue to love this over Autumn/ Winter.

The Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie has been my favourite so far its very wearable during the day /night with a nice subtle sheen of colour over my lips. I think once the weather starts to warm up I might enjoy the brighter colours a bit more but for now I am loving this berry colour!

These next favourites are not so much the individual items themselves (although I do love all of them) but more the concept/ colour range and it is Bronze/ Brown eyeliners! I find that they really compliment my green/ hazel eyes beautifully and again are a nice colour to wear for Autumn!






From Top; MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, Wet n Wild Color Icon Eyeliner in Bronzed, Wet n Wild Color Icon Brow& Eye Liner in Taupe, Savvy By DB Luxury Liner in Brilliant Bronze


Swatches Left to Right: MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy, Savvy by DB in Brilliant Bronze, Wet n Wild Color Icon in Taupe, Wet n Wild Color Icon in Bronzed

Another concept rather than individual items, I find myself drawn to deep plum, berry and mauve blush colours at the moment, I usually am this time of year, these four are generally the first ones I have been grabbing for this month!







Clockwise;
e.l.f Studio Blush Berry Merry
Benefit Dallas
e.l.f Studio Blush Mellow Mauve
MAC Prim & Proper (Limited edition from the liberty of London Collection)




Swatches Top to Bottom;
MAC Prim & Proper
Benefit Dallas 
e.l.f Berry Merry
e.l.f Mellow Mauve 

And Last but not Least Barry M nail Paint in Mushroom! I love brown taupe coloured nail polish this time of year and this along with OPI Over the Taupe (which I couldn't find, that usually means my mum has 'borrowed/ stolen' it!) Barry M nail polish in general are lovely and this is one of my top Autumn nail colours!

Thanks for reading I hope you enjoyed my April favourites and I would love to hear some of your favourites for Autumn/ April! 

Meghan

Xx 

Presents!

Last week I broke one of my teeth and was quite upset about it! So while I was feeling sorry for myself I was internet browsing like crazy, I didn't buy anything but I tend to save lots of shopping carts on many different websites (in the hope that I will become rich and be able to buy them all!).

Anyway my lovely boyfriend came home last night with a parcel full of luxury goodies that he had secretly bought to cheer me up! 

Look at the lush brands in this stash! NARS, MAC, YSL, Chanel and Korres.

Two NARS blushes Cactus Flower (Cream Blush) and New Order (Highlighting Blush Powder)

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Long Wear Eyeshadow in Epatant and MAC Sheertone Shimmer Blush in Dollymix

Triple Pack of Korres lip butters in Jasmine, Pomegranate and Wild Rose

NARS Lipstick in Barbarella and YSL Rouge Volupte in no.19 (Frivolous Pink)

Epatant, New Order, Cactus Flower and Dollymix

Jasmine (basically clear), Pomegranate, Wild Rose, Barbarella and Frivolous Rose

I'm super excited to try all these products out, I have had my eye on quite a few of these for ages, namely Cactus Flower, a Korres lip butter, NARS lipstick and YSL Lipstick. 

The Chanel Epantant looks like a lovely addition to a smokey eye and I can't wait to use it, it's quite a unique bouncy mousse like texture and just seems so luscious!

Oh I am so spoilt! This is one way to get around Project 10 Pan... receive lots of presents!!!

Have you tried any of these goodies? What do you think of them?

Meghan

Xx

April Finishers

Seeing as I am currently not buying new products I thought I would post about the ones I have finished this month. 

Sorry this photo is terrible I took it late at night and couldn't get good lighting!

Sensodyne Whitening Toothpaste...  Toothpaste... Boring! Sorry, this is one of those toothpastes with 'iso-active' foaming gel (whatever that is). I like it, it does foam up really well as you brush and doesn't irritate my sensitive teeth, I think I bought it when it was on special because these pump pastes are expensive, I replaced it with the Sensodyne whitening in the tube, which I think is nicer as the pumps can get very grungy at the top which is not nice!

Gillette Satin Care Wild Berry Shave Gel...  Another boring product, personally I could live without a shave gel, but my boyfriend likes to use this one as well so we may as well share! (I'm not sure how good this is for his face) It smells yummy, funnily enough like berries! It also does leave my legs and pits feeling silky smooth. 

JOICO Color Endure Violet Shampoo...  A nice bright purple shampoo, smells lovely and works well to tone my hair. I have replaced this with a Redken purple shampoo I wanted to try, but could very happily have repurchased this one too!

(Project 10 Pan product 1/10 empty)

SASY n SAVY Rose Lavender Hand n Nail Repair Creme...  This was a 5ml sample size i received in a monthly beauty subscription box. Definitely smells like rose more than lavender which is a plus for me because i dislike lavender a lot! However I can still smell the lavender, so I wouldn't buy this product but it feels nice and nourishing on the hands, If you are a fan of lavender this might be a nice product for you! 

Nature's Care All Natural Paw Paw Balm...  I bought this when I ran out of the tried and true Lucas Paw Paw Ointment, and in no way does this compare! It is oily, gritty and awful. When I first grabbed this I thought it was 100% Paw Paw, but upon reading it is full of oils (sunflower, castor, macadamia) I don't like it as it is not what I wanted, I found it tastes awful when used on my lips and is a bit oily for me to enjoy anywhere else... Glad it's empty!

The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Puree Body Lotion...  I am also glad this product is empty! Super sticky body lotion which hardly moisturises at all, not a fan of the smell either. I will never buy this (I much prefer the body butters) and hopefully I never receive it as a present again! (I am an ungrateful brat I know).

(Project 10 Pan 2/10 empty)

L'Oreal Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover for eyes and lips...  As the name suggests this is a nice gentle eye make-up remover, which doesn't upset my sensitive eyes. It is a double layer remover that you shake to make it work and I like it, does the job without fuss or fury! I will probably buy again in the future but I replaced with a Maybelline one I am currently trying. 

Ophelia Makeup Rounds...  A Bathroom staple for me, I use them for removing eye make-up, nail polish and swatches on my hands. This brand is from ALDI so they are nice and cheap, they say they are with aloe vera which i guess makes them a bit softer, I am not fussed about the brand in particular but I usually pick up a few packs of these when I am in ALDI as they are reasonably priced and they don't leave fluff anywhere.

Meghan

Xx

Project 10 Pan!

My boyfriend thinks I have a problem... I think I have a hobby... So we met halfway...

Welcome to my "Project 10 Pan" 

When my boy told me I bought too much makeup/ skin care I was flabbergasted! Surely you can never have enough of either??? But being the awesome girlfriend that I am I told him that I wouldn't buy any of either until i had used up 10 products first (AKA project 10 pan). He thought this was a great money saving idea and I think it's a brilliant way to make room for more new goodies!!! (but let's not tell him that!)

Let's start with skin care...

1. Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado... I like this eye cream, I don't LOVE it. Due to the fact that I hardly ever sleep and have had dark circles under my eyes since i was young, I feel like I may need something a bit more potent, while this moisturises my eye area quite well it pretty much does nada for my circles and at $39 AUD for me it's not worth it! So I am on the hunt for something more suited to me and welcome any suggestions!

2. Boscia MakeUp BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil... I am terrible at taking my makeup off at night and am hoping this will make me a bit more diligent in that aspect of my routine. This smells nice, does the job without leaving an oily residue. Not an easy find in Australia though I think i bought mine from amazon. I might re-purchase in the future, but I have my eye on Bioderma Sensibio H2O as my next makeup remover.

3. Clinique 7 Day Scrub Cream... I have had this for about 100 years I'm sure! It's one of those things that I like, it's super gentle, doesn't break me out and exfoliates quite well. I just never seem to finish it! I think this is due to me being fickle and chopping and changing to other products before actually using this up.

4. The Body Shop Japanese Cherry Blossom Puree Body Lotion... BLEH! Not a fan of this, I received this in my christmas stocking from my boy's family last year and I don't like it, I find it too sticky on my skin and it doesn't seem to moisturise very well. I also don't like the scent which is a bit too florally for my liking.

Haircare...

5. Joico Color Endure Violet Shampoo... Purple shampoo an absolute staple in my shower (and probably the shower of every blonde haired gal around). This is a bright purple shampoo which tones the brassiness out of blonde hair, and it works well! I tend to have a nice purple tinge on my hands after using this! I have purchased this many times and will again but I have a Redken Blonde Glam shampoo in my cupboard to try when this runs out.

6. Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine... Another product I have had for a million years and never seem to finish, I think because I just don't see it doing much for my hair. I have thick wavy hair, kinda like a lion's mane and this I have tried to love but just don't (Maybe I'm not using it right?). The packaging is lush and it smells divine, but in my humble opinion it's too expensive ($42 AUD) and ineffective for me to re- purchase.

Makeup...

7. MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural... I have had this for a while it's in the shade light which I think is just a tad light for me, it gives a nice (pale) natural finish and doesn't cake, I just prefer my Napoleon Perdis Camera Finish Powder.

8. Napoleon Perdis Foundation Stick (Look 2)... This foundation is thick, and has great coverage. Sometimes I like to use it as a concealer, as it's a little heavy for me to use on a day to day basis. I am not a big fan of the stick formula, I bought this when I had bad acne as I wanted something to cover that, but now that my skin is improved I don't find that this is something I want to use very often, I have had it a while so best use it up before it goes off!

9. Napoleon Perdis Marine Shell Tinted Lip Balm... This is a cute little freebie that i received maybe 2 years ago. It smells yummy (like watermelon) and it leaves a nice coral sheen to my lips, I like it, not very hydrating but looks cute!

10. Benefit Girl Meets Pearl... A little mini of the golden pink highlighter, I do enjoy this product it smells amazing and leaves a beautiful sheen on my face, unsure whether or not I would re-purchase as I have a Nude by Nature Illuminator which is quite similar in a massive tube that will probably last forever!

Pheeeew! That was a long post! Hopefully I will succeed in this challenge and get in the boy's good books so I can purchase some more products! 

Meghan

Xx

Revlon Lip Butters

Finally the revlon lip butters have arrived in Australia, I have been waiting ages for these bad boys to grace our fair land, and I would have to say they are impressive.

I was shopping with the boy the other day when I came across a stand of them and I have to admit I think my heart skipped a beat or two! Naturally I began swatching them instantly and fell in love. In Australia they are crazy expensive at $21.95 each but luckily Priceline has a two for one on Revlon lip and nail products at the moment ( from April 12 until April 23) so I splurged and bought.... 6! (Priceline also has a deal at the moment where if you spend $60 on certain branded products including Revlon you get a free beauty bag worth $220) What can I say i am a bargain/ deal hunter and I wanted to get the most out of my hard earned dollars!

 From top; Tutti Frutti, Strawberry Shortcake and Sweet Tart

 From Top; Berry Smoothie, Red Velvet and Candy Apple

I'm pretty sure there are around 20 colours, although it didn't seem like my Priceline had that many, as far as I know the lip butters  are currently only at Priceline and haven't made it as far as Target or Kmart yet! Anyways the colours i got were... Tutti Frutti, Strawberry Shortcake, Sweet Tart, Berry Smoothie, Red Velvet and Candy Apple. So far I am completely in love with Strawberry Shortcake and Berry Smoothie , but it won't be long before I'm gushing over the rest!

So hurry to Priceline while this amazing deal lasts!

Meghan

Xx

Holla!

Hello  Beauty Blog Lovers!

My name is Meghan I have been reading beauty blogs and watching youtube videos for a few years now. The whole time I have been thinking how much i would like to join in this little (actually quite massive) beauty community... so here goes it!
I guess a little background on me is a good place to start...
I am 25 years old, I live in Australia, I love to travel and i am obsessed with all things beauty. I don't have any formal beauty qualifications (I am a nurse) however I have quite a good grasp on makeup and am always the first person my friends and family will ask beauty advice of.
I guess what i am hoping to achieve with this blog is just to get my voice out there and be able to talk about makeup, skincare and nailpolish.
So This is my introduction/ first blog ever! I will play around a bit and hopefully my next post will be beauty related!

Meghan
   Xx