One Swipe Wonders

One swipe eye product wonders are a running late girl's bff! Or a girl, like myself, who enjoys a few extra minutes of sleep whenever I can sneak them in. I have a few products that I know I can turn to that will be quick, fuss-free and look like I've put in a lot more effort than I had the time for.

For this kind of purpose, a cream product is often going to be your go-to because these can be applied with your fingers, usually blend out easily and if they set well or you prime your lids, they should stay put and crease-free for the whole day.

Starting off with the Maybelline Colour Tattoos which I don't think anyone won't have heard of- these come in a multitude of colours, both neutral and bold brights as well as some limited edition shades and formulas. I have a range of these and they're just foolproof; they blend beautifully with either your finger or a brush and look great on their own and work well as a base for powder shadows.

Higher end of the spectrum are the Aqua Cream shadows from Make Up For Ever. I saw this beautiful burgundy shade in Sephora and I just couldn't walk away, plus I think I was also going through a bit of a cranberry, burnt red phase. These stay like no other, you need to work quickly because once these have set they will not budge.

Eyeshadow sticks- namely Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Bronzed Garnet and the Rimmel Scandaleyes shadow stick in Bad Girl Bronze. I've done a comparison of these two on my instagram and although when swatched they look quite different, once applied on the eye they're really quite similar. So if you've been eyeing off the Charlotte Tilbury version but have been hesitant to spend or just can't get your hands on them, hit up Rimmel! I just scribble these (light-handedly) over my lid and blend them in with again, my ring finger or a brush. Both have a shimmer to them that makes them look more dimensional and are beautiful on the lids.

Another stick of sorts is the By Terry Ombre Blackstar cream eyeshadow in Misty Rock; a YouTube endorsed purchase, these are stu-uh-nning. Again, they have a shimmer to them that gives dimension to the eye without having that chunky glitter shimmer look. Misty Rock is a beautiful metallic lilac-pink that I think is especially flattering on green eyes. I like to use this over powder eyeshadow and on its own.

Onto the powder options, in this case they are the weaker team as I think generally you need a couple of shadows to blend together to create dimension and depth. However (!) there are a couple in my collection that I've found are an exception to the rule.

The L'Oreal Infallible Shadows are one product that I'm always checking to see if they've brought out new colours. They're just beautiful! Super pigmented, rich colours that are creamy to apply with either your finger or a brush. You don't need a setting spray or a fixing medium to use them because they're more of a pressed pigment so pack onto the lid really easily.

Another gem from L'Oreal are their more recent, Mono Eyeshadows. I've done a full post on these so I won't say much but this shade especially, 201- Cafe Saint Germain is a great one swipe wonder.

Last but not least is my tried and true, MAC Woodwinked eyeshadow. This is just my go-to gal for those days that I want a brown, bronzey eye that I can rely on, regardless of time. I've actually had people ask how many shadows I've been wearing when I've slapped this on solo and run out the door. Something about it, when blended out looks like you have put a whole lot more effort in and is lovely.

So there we have a few of my bffs for those days that I've slept in a little too long, am feeling uninspired or other. Super simple swipe and out the door!

The Blending Brush Battle

I'm sure everyone here is at least familiar with the old MAC 217, a favourite amongst beauty bloggers and MUAs alike but there's a new(ish) kid on the block- Wayne Goss' 19 Eye Brush. Before I owned any of the Goss brushes I thought the 217 was the be all and end all, so much so that I bought 2. That's when you know you really love something! It does a great job of blending shadows to make a noob like me be able to fake some sort of application skill. It does most of the work for you so really it's fool proof.

I didn't think anything of the actual make of the brush until I entered the Goss beauty market. I purchased a couple of Wayne's brushes last year, one of which being Number 19- enter the blending brush of dreams. Now these are slightly pricier but let's be real MAC prices are high enough in Australia so it's not really classified as so much of an affordable brand as it is overseas. I know if you want to spend a bit more on your brushes then you look to brands like Hakuhodo and others but Goss is a newer player in the game. 

The 19 does all the things the 217 does but a smidgen better and it feels like you're swiping soft, fluffy clouds on your eyelids. Each of the brushes are handcrafted in Japan if I'm not wrong and you can seriously feel the quality. The brush itself is lightweight and easy to care for; they came with a little note to not wash them more than once a month but to rather wipe off the excess on a tissue so less cleaning = happy me. They don't retain product either like I feel my 217s can. 

Breakdown comparison of the two- 

MAC 217 $37 Available in stores and online. 

Wayne Goss #19 $27USD ($34AUD) Available for Aussies to purchase from Beautylish.

The choice is yours my friends... 

Skincare On The Go

My toiletries and makeup bag/s when I travel most definitely take up at least a quarter of my suitcase weight. For reals. A slight problem when travelling on smaller airlines and they have strict limits cos this gal apparently likes to bring the kitchen sink. 

It seems this trip in particular, I maybe brought more than I needed. More so for makeup- skincare I think I have used everything at least once but I probably could've contained things slightly better. Note to self- buy smaller products and restrict yourself even more. 

One thing I do always do is only bring one main cleanser- at home I alternate morning and evening because I like to use something less harsh in the mornings as I'm only washing off the products from the night before. For the last two trips I've chosen- The Body Shop's Seaweed Cleanser. Amazing for taking off any remaining makeup that's left after my cleansing oil and leaves my skin feeling nice and fresh. I've brought this on the past two trips now as my do it all cleanser but I have a feeling that using it both morning and night does dry my skin out a tad.

Step one in the evening routine comes from The Body Shop's Camomile Oil Cleanser; it removes the majority of my makeup and I feel gives my skin a good clean. One problem I have with this is that it leaks ev-er-ywhere. Last time I transferred it to a smaller bottle and that didn't work so this time I brought it in the original packaging, in a snap lock sandwich bag, locked the pump lid and still it manages to escape. So just be aware if you plan to travel with this one. 

A staple at home and on the go has to be Lush's Tea Tree Water, a spray toner that I have spoken about many a time before so won't bore you again. 

I have two newer additions to the evening regime, the first being Antipdoes Kiwi Seed Eye Cream. As with a lot eye creams, you can't tell if it's doing it's job at this stage, it's more of a preventative measure. Although I do think I have noticed a reduction in the colour of my under eye circles. 

The second product being Sunday Riley's Artemis Facial Oil. This was a purchase made semi out of desperation but boy am I glad I did. If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my palava with trying to find Sunday Riley's Good Genes after I ran out; it was sold out nationally in Mecca stores. FML was my immediate reaction. So I went home, did some research, found it would cost me my organs to buy one from overseas so researched alternatives and came across old mate, Artemis. This is slightly pricier than GG which I already had a little gasp at but as I said, desperado situation. This is lasting me a lot better than GG did as an oil will always go further than a cream product. A couple of drops in the evening does me well and I have noticed an improvement in my skin. Think I'll do a full post on this so I'll spare you the details for now. 

Origins Super Spot Remover in collaboration with Mario Badescu's Buffering Lotion- again both products I've sung the praises of entire so I won't go into detail. Probably didn't need to bring Mario as well though. 

Flying, transporting, travelling and the elements aren't always kind to your skin, especially your lips so to combat that I brought a deluxe sample of By Terry's Baume de Rose. A cult favourite and I get why. Not usually a fan of Rose scented products but this isn't too strong so I'm not bothered. Does a lovely job and that's all I really have to say I think. 

Moisturisation station- evenings started with Kiehl's Oil Free Ultra Facial Cream, which I finished off the remains in just over a week and I liked it but not sure I'd say I loved it. I think I preferred the original cream formula. So we've moved onto the cult classic, Embryolisse which I purchased in Paris. It feels very nourishing and hasn't got any strong fragrance as it's suitable for sensitive skins. 

Morning routine starts with a cleanse and then I move to two old pals from La Roche Posay- Effaclar Duo and then moisturise with Effaclar Matte. Pretty sure I've written about both of these before; I've repurchased both god only knows how many times and love what both do for my skin. 

Sneaky extras included Aesop's Parsley Seed Masque, a pre-holiday I feel I need you in my life purchase and boy am I glad I did. I used this 1-3 times a week on the trip and I think it definitely did wonders. Another one I'll go into more depth on in an individual post.

Last but not least, Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. This for me is actually an oboard essential so stays in my handbag as it's great to use as a moisturiser mid-flight or after cleansing at the airport if you're so inclined. Works wonders for tired and dry skin as an overnight mask as intended as well. 

Apologies for the seriously long post! I hope it didn't bore you too much if you made it to the end and feel free to comment with your travel skincare essentials. 

Getting Caught Up In The Hype..

Hello stranger! I have been laying a bit low key on the blog front in recent months but completely unintentionally. 

I had a bit of a lightbulb moment last night as I was scrolling through a few of my favourite bloggers' feeds- I am too guilty of getting caught up in the hype. As much as I have improved in the past few years in terms of buying excess amounts of makeup, I still get reeled in by new launches, packaging and 1000 beauties saying they love a particular product. 

At this stage, blogging for me is a hobby. It's something I love to do, I love makeup, I love communicating on Instagram with beauty obsessives all over the world, I love taking photos of pretty things and slapping them all onto my face; but this is not my full time job. My full time job funds this, at times, pricey habit and I need to remind myself that a lot of bloggers are fortunate to be sent samples of these products. They of course have worked hard to get where they are and continue to work hard producing original content, this is not a post to bag out 'big' beauty bloggers I am definitely not about that. 

This is just a post for me, myself and I really to remind myself that this is my hobby, not my job. I only have one face to apply all these products I buy (aside from the occasional friend's face) I'm not a freelance artist and don't have a kit to fill. I may not actually need every new lip product that is launched, every new product that claims to be revolutionary and unique; i need to be wary of getting caught up in the hype. 

The main reason for this post is to recognise that reading lots of beauty blogs can be entertaining, fun to read and beautiful to look at but you (read: I) don't necessarily need every product that is recommended or mentioned just because so and so said you do. I will be back to blogging properly when I'm home from this trip and back into routine because I do love it and I do love sharing my thoughts. Otherwise I'm always active on my Instagram and often post mini reviews and first impressions there. 

As always, feel free to leave your comments and thoughts below! 

All Eyes on the L'Oreal Mono Shadows

Sometimes (a lot of the time) for more reasons than one, I dislike living in the Southern Hemisphere. As big a first world problem as it is, makeup and beauty launches 6 months behind everyone else is one of my peeves! I get how ridiculous and vain that sounds, don't even worry. It's just those products you see hit the screen from UK & US beauties and you're like :| need. now.

Breaking Nude, Cafe Saint Germain, Quartz Fume

The L'Oreal Mono Shadows were one of those launches. After the success and my love for the Infallible shadows, I was excited for these. They launched with a couple of different finishes- there's the mattes, lumiere and nude. I picked out one of each and love them all. These, like the Infallible shadows, are super creamy and pigmented and are more like a pressed pigment than an eyeshadow. Worn alone or with other shadows, I've been loving these since I bought them. The only negatives I have are that one of them fell out of the pan after a short drop and the darker shades do have a bit of a fall out but I think you kind of just expect that with a product like this.

Breaking Nude, Cafe Saint Germain, Quartz Fume

The Drawer of Makeup Guilt

I like to think of my blog as a kind of sharing circle where anyone can come and join us in celebrating unnecessary addictions to all things makeup and beauty.. right?

Just smile and nod so this post won't make me feel like I'm alone in this, although from instagram sightings I think I can feel pretty secure that I am well and truly not alone.

The backup/new bits drawer. The ghost that haunts all new purchases while I'm perusing the drugstore aisles, the Mecca counters and department store beauty halls. That little voice in my head that says "think of all the new makeup you have sitting at home waiting to be opened and used. You need no more!" Let's be honest though, that pesky voice generally gets the boot and I gladly hand my pennies over in exchange of something new and exciting that's been launched.

It's all about layers- ogres have layers, beauty obsessive's drawers have layers

So this post is to celebrate the new bits/backup drawers that I know a lot of us have and store (read: hoard) new beauty bits! Let me know how out of control yours is getting so I can share the guilt..

New In | Maybelline Colour Drama Lipsticks

Things have been a tad lip-tastic here at chez Beautylocale, so apologies for two lip related posts in a row but I just can't help myself! I need want all of the lip products!!

The minute I saw these hit my computer screen when watching beauties in the Northern Hemisphere, I had been waiting (not so) patiently for these to hit Priceline's shelves. It would seem I definitely wasn't the only one either because the second the installations were put into the Maybelline stands, every single store I went into had bare slots. The struggle and devastation was real.

Not for long though! I finally got my eager little hands on one shade and then a few store attempts and days later, a second. Boy oh boy these were worth the wait my friends. Beauty bloggers and the like had sort of loosely thrown around the potential for being a Nars dupe and I have one of the matte lip pencils so I don't know if one makes me an expert but I would definitely say these are beyond drugstore quality and their $9.95 price tag.

Fab Orange & Red Essential

I got sooo many compliments at work and everyone was very shocked that it was a drugstore product brought to us by the gods of Maybelline and also that was so affordable! I posted a photo on my instagram showing how it wore from 9am to 7pm and that was no lie (check it out- @beautylocale). These are really creamy, easy to apply, comfortable to wear allll day long and they've brought out some beautiful bold shades as well as pretty nudes.

Maybelline have really hit the mark with this release and I will definitely be expanding my collection when I release myself from this semi makeup ban I've put myself under..

The swatches really speak for themselves, so if you've been eyeing off the Nars lip pencils but don't want to commit to that price point then head to your nearest Maybelline stockist asap!

Bite Beauty Begins Here

Like a lot of other beauty obsessives, the minute I knew I was going to the US, I began drafting my beauty wishlist.. it was a slippery slope let me tell you. At the top of my list was to delve into the world of Bite Beauty and I really wanted to make it to their lip lab in NYC. However in true holiday style, this all went out the window. I did buy the Agave lip mask which I've been loving but after I was given the huge lip set from Sephora from Christmas, I think I felt anymore lip product purchases was just excessive.

Enter Sydney Sephora, a giftcard from a gorgeous gal pal and working in dangerously close vicinity to Pitt St. I braved the lunch rush to check out Bite Beauty specifically and was disappointed by all the colours I had my eye on being out of stock. A week later and a second chance, we had success! 

Of all their formulas it was the Matte Creme Lip Crayons that caught my eye- a beautiful range of shades from nudes to bolds, on first swatch these just glided so easily on the back of my hand. Plus as I've mentioned before, I'm not one to shy away from a good ol' matte lip. Glacé had me straight away- trust. A beautiful dusty mauve, it was well and truly up my alley as a pinky brown tone. Then to even out the spectrum I thought a dark, bold shade would be a nice pairing. My pick- Truffle. A gorgeous vampy, deep brown, perfect for the upcoming Autumn trends and weather. 

Glacé & Truffle

I've worn Glacé all day at work, talking, eating, the lot and it's seriously comfortable for a matte lip and only needs a light reapplication. Now that I've used it a few times, the tip isn't as sharp which is disappointing and something I didn't really think about, because initially it was great for getting a super crisp line. I haven't given sharpening it a go yet but has anyone else found this or tried sharpening them? I don't want to do it and then ruin it entirely because that would just be devastation.

These retail for $30 at Sephora which when you think about it is more affordable than a lot of mid-range brands plus these are made with only good ingredients and are free from a whole lot of nasty chemicals and additives. That's Bite Beauty's aim if you weren't aware so bonus thumbs up from me!

GlamGlow Powermud Mask

I've raved about the GlamGlow SuperMud Mask before and now comes their more recent addition to the face mask range- PowerMud. A mud to oil formula, this mask was something very different to anything I'd tried before and was very intriguing. I saw Nicole Guerriero mention this in one of her videos months ago and had been waiting for it to reach our shelves since. One fateful evening visit to MeccaCosmetica after work and it had arrived! It was on their 'New In' shelves and not long after, it was in my bathroom cabinet. I did want to wait to finish a few other masks I had on rotation because at the price point that this mask is, I didn't want it sitting unloved and unused in my cabinet.

PowerMud as I mentioned, is a mud to oil formula so because of its' description I didn't expect it would dry fully on my face but it does; I applied a thing layer all over my face and within 5-10 minutes it was almost fully dry. With a very pleasant pear scent, I left it to work its magic for 15-20 minutes then instead of removing it with a  face washer or cloth, you use warm water and circular motions to wash the mask off. When you do this you feel the mask turn to an oily feel which I think is meant to further penetrate the skin.

PowerMud is described as a dual cleanse treatment as it's meant to deep clean your skin from weekly buildup of makeup, dirt, pollution etc  that gets trapped in your pores. It's designed for all skin types and both men and women. For this reason I like to use this mask on Sunday evenings as my weekly prep to cleanse my skin from the week before and prepare it for the week ahead. I do generally apply at least one mask mid-week as well and I tend to go for something more clarifying.

In terms of comparison with the SuperMud mask, they are quite different; SuperMud is more of a traditional clay mask in my opinion, the way you can see it working on your pores and problem areas makes it more obvious that it's penetrating your skin. Whereas with PowerMud, I think the results are more subtle and long-term. It's meant to cleanse from weekly build up and my skin definitely feels soft and smooth afterwards but I'm not sure it does as much for treating any active breakouts and spots that I might have at the time.

Both are different and work on different issues, I don't prefer one or the other I would recommend either SuperMud or PowerMud depending on your skin concerns. Both are available from MeccaCosmetica and MeccaMaxima in Australia.

Contouring à la Moi!

It's not something that I really bother to do on the daily, but for evenings out and special occasions I can never turn away from a good contour! Generally I don't do the whole Kimmy K triangle highlight under the eyes shebang but a structured cheekbone on the other hand, I am quite a fan of. I have a few products and tools that I like to use to achieve this depending on the way I've done the rest of my face.

Day to day I do bronze the outer portions of my face- hairline, temples and cheekbones, the usual, using the MAC Matte Bronzer but I don't sculpt out my face at all. It's more to warm up my complexion and make things a shade less ghostly! However when contouring using this same bronzer, I'll use a smaller, more defining brush which creates more shadow. Often people say not to use bronzer for contouring as it's less natural looking, especially those with shimmer but I find this one works fine for me.

My go-to powder product for contouring is definitely MAC Harmony blush which I think I heard about from the Pixiwoo sisters, who most definitely know their stuff. As it's a blush it's very pigmented so a light hand is best but the shade of this looks really natural on the skin because of it's slight ashy/grey undertone. Paired with any of the brushes pictured it works a chiseled cheek dream!

Now that the weather's warming up, the cream products emerge. Cream blushes, eye products and as well- bronzers. The Bourjois Bronzing Primer, which is said to be an affordable alternative to Chanel's Soleil Tan de Chanel, is a cream product that can be used underneath or on top of makeup. I like to use this with a stippling brush (not pictured) but also works well with both the Real Techniques Duo Fibre Contour brush and original Contour brush. A little goes a long way with this product but it's easily buildable and provides a subtle bronze and can be more defined for a contoured look. This product is quite heavily scented just as an FYI.

Last but not least we have the gorgeous Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette which contains three powders all for different purposes but this post's focus will be on Radiant light (right hand shade). The high-tech and soft focus nature of these powders make them one of my absolute favourites! As a gal with uneven and far from perfect skin, anything that's going to mask this without looking or feeling cakey gets a thumbs up in my books. I prefer to use this powder in combination with a matte bronzer to add extra dimension and an all over bronze rather than a bold contour.

NARS Ita Brush, Real Techniques LE Duo Fibre Contour Brush, Real Techniques Contour Brush, Sigma F05 Small Contour Brush

In terms of tools, I have four current favourites however some newbies have been added to the mix but I will report on those with some more use. The NARS Ita brush appears all over the interwebs and beautysphere with many people bragging about how amazing it is so of course I succumbed to the hype and finally found one online. The narrow shape of the brush provides a very bold, sharp contour which you can then blend out to look slightly more soft. This is probably my number 1 tool because you just can't go wrong.

Two contour brushes from Real Techniques have been in my stash for quite a while now and work very well. As with the entire range of Real Techniques these brushes which are both synthetic work really well with both powder and cream products. The Duo Fibre Contour brush is slightly less dense so can work well for a softer look. Then we have an addition from Sigma, the F05 Small Contour brush; this is slightly rounded so fits well into the hollows of the cheeks and blends product out well.

The Empties #2 | Skincare

This surprisingly is the larger portion of this empties series. As I said in my Empties #1 post which covered haircare and beauty, I have been stashing these products for well over a month and as well as this I have been making a conscious effort to finish those last few drops of products that I've pushed to the back of the drawers and using up samples and things like that. So here we have the skincare selection, some of these products I loved and have repurchased already, some were ok and some are necessities of life.

Like the last post, I'll do my best not to ramble and give you ridiculously long rambles and make things as succinct as I can!

Lush Fresh Face Masks in Catastrophe Cosmetic & The Sacred Truth: I've paired the two together because both worked well but Sacred Truth was actually for my Mum and it is catered more to mature skin if I'm not wrong. Catastrophe Cosmetic on the other hand worked absolute wonders for my pores and I saw a visible difference immediately after using this mask. Can't rave enough- love!

Lush Tea Tree Water: A toner I use in my evening routine, aimed at oily/combination spot-prone skin. There is debate over whether toner is actually necessary but I like it, I use one morning and evening and find this one is especially great after I've applied a face mask to just spritz over the skin, make everything feel super fresh and close up those pores again! This has already been repurchased and I see it being a staple in the bathroom cabinet for a while.

Indeed Laboratories Pepta-Bright: A serum that targets pigmentation and skin clarity and I did feel that this made a visible difference to the appearance of my skin. I applied it both morning and evening and once I got over the smell, I really liked it. It restores luminosity, targets dark spots, pigmentation, aids with hydration and just generally evens out skin tone. I have a few other similar products in my stash to get through but I would repurchase this in the future.

The Body Shop Seaweed Cleanser: The Seaweed range is one that I'm familiar with and have used years ago. It targets oily, blemish prone skin so it's right up my alley. After making my way through a fair amount of cleansers that I found just ok, I returned to the Body Shop's Seaweed range and thought I'd try the cleanser for my evening routine. Boy, am I glad I did. It's now my go-to, it removes the remainder of my makeup (after a cleansing water) like a dream, doesn't leave my skin feeling tight and uncomfortable and I think has helped with the recent improvement to it's overall appearance.

The Body Shop Nutriganics Drops of Youth Serum:  A sample I was given at their Summer beauty launch and a product that my mum actually purchased the full size of, I thought I'd give this sample a whirl in between my usual evening serums/oils. I applied this onto freshly cleansed skin and it sank it nicely and left my skin feeling hydrated. Only used it for 2-3 evenings until the sachet was caput but I did like how it felt. Might 'borrow' this from my mum from time to time..

GlamGlow SuperMud Face Mask: A purchase for when you're #feelingspendy, the SuperMud mask is unlike any other mask I've used before. This has well and truly done the rounds in the beautysphere so I'm sure you've seen how it works. Claimed to be used by Hollywood starlets, this mask draws out impurities in front of your eyes. You can see it focusing on blackheads, pesky spots and the like as it dries darker in those areas. When you rinse it off you can see an immediate difference and it always left my skin feeling smooth and clean. I've moved onto the newer PowerMud at the moment but I'm certain I will repurchase this in the future!

Garnier Micellar Water: Bioderma's more affordable and previously more readily available sister. Could I call her a twin? I think I could. I don't find enough difference between the two to always warrant paying double or triple the price for Bioderma. This does a great job of removing my face and eye makeup but I do always double cleanse with a liquid cleanser to ensure every single trace of makeup is gone.

Kiehl's Ultimate Strength Hand Salve: As someone who is a little OCD about washing their hands, things can occasionally get a little dry. I am generally a big fan of the L'Occitane hand creams and have always loved those but a peruse through the David Jones beauty hall lead me to Kiehl's. I felt that I needed something even stronger for the evenings and this well and truly hit the mark. It is quite thick so I wouldn't recommend it for during the day as a lot of people can find that uncomfortable but for before bed, this is a dream! Fixed up my hands within a few days.

Origins Super Spot Remover: If you're victim to a pesky spot or two then you need this in your life. I have gone through a large number of these over the years and I love it. It dries up spots quickly without drying out the surrounding skin too much. This bottle may look small but that goes along with the fact that you don't need a lot at all, just the tiniest amount applied with a clean finger overnight or even during the day if you fancy and you'll notice a big difference within hours.

Mario Badescu Drying Lotion: May as well stay on topic while we're talking spotty pals. A serious cult product, the Drying Lotion is amazing for those more stubborn spots like whiteheads or cystic pimples. You know the ones that just seem to want to camp out on your face for the next trillion years.. yeah those. Apply this with a clean cotton tip, leave on overnight and you may not see immediate results but over time (even just a couple of days) trust me, you will.

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair: A sample that somehow made its way into my drawers but I have tried this a couple of times now. It gets raving reviews from beauty bloggers, vloggers and professionals and I do always like it when I use it. Underneath moisturiser, it feels like it's doing a good job of keeping my skin hydrated, improving texture and appearance. Only thing that's held me back from buying full size is the price and I've already had similar type products in my stash like the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate.

Skinstitut Laser Aid: Not sure if this is TMI for some people but yep, I get laser hair removal. I haven't mentioned it on the blog before, not for any reason I guess there just hasn't been an appropriate post. I go to Laser Clinics Australia and have been for I think 18+months now. I can honestly recommend it and there is definitely a huge difference. I'm not at the point where I feel I can stop going completely but I do go quite irregularly now and more just when I feel the need to. If you're interested I would say wait until they have a sale on (which is a lot of the time) and buy a few sessions in one go. Feel free to ask any questions but I'm definitely no expert!

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Mat: This brand seriously made the rounds on YouTube I would say maybe 2-3 years ago and lucky for me and I happened to be travelling to France around then. I stocked up on the cult products that people had been raving about and haven't looked back since. Effaclar Mat is a more recent addition to the stash but this is probably one of the first moisturisers I've felt actually mattified my skin and kept oils at bay. I only use this during the day and generally only in the warmer months as I like to use something a bit more hydrating in winter and also don't mind as much sheen. This is fantastic and affordable- win win!

NUDE Skincare ProGenius Treatment Oil: A sample from MeccaCosmetica either with an online purchase or Beautyloop box, this sat in my backups/new products drawer for a while but when I ran out of my beloved Kiehl's Midnight Recovery, I reached for this. A pretty decent sized sample first off and I did feel like it did a good job for my skin. Didn't irritate, left my skin feeling nourished and was a good temporary addition to my evening routine. Definitely would consider purchasing in the future.

The Empties # 1 | Haircare & Beauty

In the corner of my room, I've been hoarding empty packaging of hair, beauty and skincare products for the past couple of months and it wasn't until I thought it was overflowing enough and I pulled everything out in front of me that I realised just how many products I had accumulated. So I've split this post into two parts- haircare and beauty then next up will be all the skincare empties. I will say though that I have been making a conscious effort to finish products that I've had for a while and use up samples and minis that I've been accumulating in my stash as well.

With that being said, I'll get into it! I won't write too much on each product or you'll start to see visible signs of ageing as you're reading it so I will do my best to keep things short and sweet- just a brief low down to let you know whether I loved or didn't love it. I really enjoy watching these videos and reading these types of posts; it's great to get a rounded up opinion on a whole heap of products that you can see people have actually used up and finished!

Haircare- 

L'Oreal EverSleek Shampoo & Conditioner: I've gone through multiple bottles of both shampoo and conditioner in the EverSleek range- they work really well for my hair maintaining frizz and keeping things a little more.. sleek as the name would suggest! Within the range there are two subranges- Smooth & Tame and Smooth & Repair; to be honest, didn't notice a huge difference between the two except Smooth & Tame isn't as creamy and rich so feels a little more lightweight in the hair.

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine: I've done a blog post that went more in depth about this product but I purchased it on recommendation from Amelia Liana who most definitely has enviable locks and I did see a difference in the appearance of my hair and would repurchase.

Beauty- 

Urban Decay 'Chill' Setting Spray: The second bottle of this that I've gone through which says enough really. This setting spray is designed to work with temperature control in mind but not sure how it really does that, some fancy technology I suppose but regardless it does keep my makeup looking fresh all day.  At the moment I'm using the 'Deslick' spray and I think I actually prefer this one.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Corrector:  I did have a shade before this but it was too light and too old so I repurchased in a shade that actually matched me better and I am on the fence about this product. Some days I thought it was the bees knees and covered my dark circles like no other, then others I felt it looked cakey and didn't even cover that well considering how thick it is. I liked it but I didn't love it or find it holy grail like I know so many others do.

The Body Shop Instablur: This is another product that I think you can tell how I feel from the amount of times I have included it in posts or featured it on my Instagram. This primer worked really well for me and for a moment actually took the place of my beloved Hourglass Mineral Veil primer. Regardless of the seriously affordable price, this product is the bomb.com, I definitely recommend it.

Jordana Best Lash Extreme Mascara: The cheapest and one of the best mascaras I've ever used. First saw this on Lauren Curtis' channel and not that I like my lashes as big as she does hers necessarily, I'm hooked! I've lost track of how many tubes I've gone through. It works really well, keeps a curl all day and is easy to remove. I buy mine from either Beautyjoint or Cherry Culture and it's under $5.

Australis Lash and Brow Extender: aka brow gel.  May as well stay on the same trail, another recommendation from Lauren Curtis and as I'd always used mid-high end brow gels I thought it was about time I tried a drugstore offering; this does a fabulous job of keeping my brows in place, some have said it's a bit too crispy and crunchy for their liking but I don't really find that.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer: A fantastic and affordable concealer and actually an old favourite, I remembered when I bought it more recently that I've in fact gone through a couple of tubes of this already. It has good coverage, comes in a good shade range for a drugstore product and can be used all over the face.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance: A deluxe sample that came in the Beauty Blogger's Favourites box that I was kindly given by one of my best pals. I used this after running out of the Urban Decay Primer Potion and in comparison to that, they're quite similar in texture, colour and application. In saying that though I think I prefer the UD one, it did more for me in terms of mattifying and keeping the shadows looking super fresh all day.

Simple Eye Make-Up Corrector Pen: A fantastic idea in theory but the annoying thing with this design is that you have to clean the nib after each use so not fantastic if you're in a rush or on the go because if it's not clean things can get more messy instead of fixing your mistakes but it did work well for the first few uses.

Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil in Soft Brown: I've gone through quite a few of these now and I really like them (well, duh). The pencil has that waxy consistency so it does a good job of putting the brow hairs into place as well as filling in the sparse areas. I did still use brow gel over the top but it was a good extra hold. Colour was a great match for my medium brown hair, only thing is that they can be a bit difficult to sharpen as the pencil itself is waxy.

Bourjois Liner Feature Felt Tip Eyeliner: To be honest I'm actually just throwing this one away because I think it's had it's day and even in it's day it didn't do wonders for me. I found it a bit dry from the beginning and difficult to use because of that. I also didn't think it had great lasting power and transferred onto my eyelids. Soo.. sorry Bourjois liner you weren't the one for me.

So there we have a quick roundup of my most recently used up hair and beauty products! Some were firm favourites, some were not so much but their appearance was appreciated in my stash. Keep an eye out in the next few days or so for my skincare empties. Let me know if you've used any of these products and your opinions on them as well.                                                                                                    

The Summer Scent | Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt

There's something just so special about a Jo Malone fragrance; the boutique nature of the brand, the unique scents, I find it all beautiful! When I saw this cologne hit the pages of beauty bloggers in the Northern Hemisphere, the scent had me intrigued. Every review said it was an unlikely pairing and not something that any of them would have necessarily gravitated to but it was very comforting. On a fairly recent peruse through the David Jones beauty hall, I stopped by the Jo Malone concession and saw it had arrived. Now I'm not really one to go full yolo when it comes to fragrance, I do like to see how it wears and changes on my skin so I spritzed the inside of my wrist and as well as a card I put in my handbag and sniffed my wrist all afternoon long (in a completely normal not weirdo way) . My handbag smelt beautiful and I really liked how it wore on my skin. A couple of weeks went by and I kept thinking about it which is usually a good indication that I really want a product (you know, because that happens so rarely...not). 

My birthday came around and I was kindly gifted a DJs voucher and I knew exactly what I wanted to put it towards. I headed back to Jo Malone, sprayed it on my wrist once more and decided on the 100mL bottle. Generally I tend to go for much more floral, a little bit sweet perfumes but this is something quite different for me which is why I think I was drawn to it. The scent is light, fresh and not overpowering. The campaign is all revolved around the English seaside which has no particular meaning to me but I do like it; the cologne is classified as one of their woody scents with top notes of Ambrette Seeds, heart note of Sea Salt and base note of Sage. 


"Escape the everyday along the windswept shore. Waves breaking white, the air fresh with sea salt and spray. Alive with the mineral scent of the rugged cliffs. Mingling with the woody earthiness of sage. Lively, spirited and totally joyful." - Taken from the Jo Malone website

The packaging with the thick rope just adds to the entire story and makes it even more special but one thing I will say about this is that I don't feel it lasts as long on my skin as my other Jo Malone colognes. My friend who recently purchased one of the cologne intense said the same.. so I'm not sure if it's just us who can't smell it on ourselves but it's a shame because at this price point and quality I would hope it has better lasting power. 

The NARS Domination Cheek Palette

Long time no post! If you follow me on Instagram then you may know that I'm currently in America and I did have a few posts ready to go but travels have just got in the way! Anyway read on for some blush-tastic fun.

I'm sure a lot of you out there will agree with me that when it comes to blush, NARS seriously knows their stuff. They're pigmented as all..everything, they apply beautifully and come in a range of shades both shimmer and matte. Each time NARS has launched a cheek palette in Australia they have sold out ridiculously quickly or just haven't even made their way to our counters so I've always missed out. Until now. One glorious day, @beautylocale welcomed a very exciting new Instagram follower- the beautiful people at @narsissist. There were squeals, an excited morning dance and a message offering a thank you gift for being such a devoted fan. Well I'm hardly going to say no am I?!

I was kindly sent the Domination Cheek palette which just made my day. The palette contains two blushes, a highlight and the forever cult- Laguna bronzer which was actually my first ever high end makeup purchase! Their two cult classics- Laguna and Orgasm blush are the larger of the four in the palette but they're the two I think I would get most use from anyway. I'd always steered away from shimmery blushes thinking they would just draw attention to any uneven texture on my skin but from a deluxe sample size of Orgasm in the Beautyloop box before last, all that has changed. I've found myself reaching for it very regularly and love the way it looks especially now the weather is warming up.

I haven't properly cracked this open for use but I did do a quick swatch for this post. No surprise the colours are gorgeous, quality is most definitely there and I have not one bad word to say about it.

Devotee, Orgasm, Mistinguette & Laguna

Source

Ps. Any Orange Is The New Black fans out there will 100% understand this picture but I just couldn't think of any better way to sum up my feelings towards this palette.