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.

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 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.

Summer Scrubbin'

Even though Sydney wants to trick us into thinking it's already here, Summer is not here just yet but the shorter hemlines, bare legs and arms are already making their way out! The sun has been seriously shining these past couple of weeks and I can't say I was 100% prepared (my arms and legs are still rocking a ghostly shade of white) however I did have one product on hand to ease myself into this warm weather thing.

If you read my post a couple of weeks ago from the Body Shop summer preview then you would have seen I purchased the Argan Oil Rough Scrub scrub from their new Argan range. The scrub is one of the more jelly type exfoliators that they have, others are a little more creamy which is more similar to what I'd used before so I was very intrigued by this one. The scent had me at first sniff, I love the smell of argan products and this is no different- slightly sweet, fresh and just a pleasant scent. As the name suggests, it is quite a rough scrub and the size of the particles is perfect for a great exfoliation! I like to use this 2-3 times a week to ensure there's no scaly limbs looming in the cold weather's shadows. Especially followed by Lush's Ro's Argan Body Conditioner in the shower or one of my Aesop Body Balms once I'm out of the shower.

This scrub will have your limbs summer ready in no time! What are your favourite products to get your skin summer ready?

The Wild Argan Oil Rough Scrub is available from Body Shop stores and online for $23.95.

Line 'em Up

Is it me or do lip liners have a sort of stigma connecting them to more mature ladies and bad past beauty trends? When I hear lip liner I picture a grandma shakily applying it on a stool at her vanity before she puts on her favourite lippy. That's some vivid imagery for you right there that is; but really, lip liners can completely change how your lipstick looks for the better!

Lip liners not only prevent your lip colour from bleeding into any fine lines around your lips but also make everything look a lot more crisp and clean. If you want to go one step further, of course you can take some concealer around the edges of your mouth but for today we're just talking liners! Like an eyeliner, lip liner defines, preps and finishes off a bold or neutral lip beautifully. It wasn't until I thought of doing this post and then laid out all of my liners that I realised how many I actually have.. Standard blogger problem I think. I've got mostly drugstore brands with one or two mid-range brands thrown in. Liners are great on their own for a more matte and long wearing option or underneath lipstick or gloss as a prep step. 

If I'm donning a bold lip then I always, always line my lips and most of the time fill them in as well just to give a good base and even out the colour. With a more natural lip colour I don't necessarily wear liner unless I want to do a sneaky overdraw of my lips to make them look a little more full. (I'm not talking Kardashian/Jenner overdraw here ladies) To do this I generally opt for Maybelline's SuperStay liner in Rosewood which is the closest shade to my lip colour that I've found; Without looking like I've had bad lip injections, I just slightly, ever so slightly shade under the middle part of my bottom lip to create a shadow. This is the most natural way for your lips to appear larger and with a pencil shade close to your own, no one will be any the wiser! 

For me, a red lip isn't a red lip without a clean cut edge with liner! Matching the undertones is also important because you don't want an orange line around the edge of your mouth with a deeper, warm red lip colour unless of course that's what you were intending which actually could be an interesting ombré look! My choice for affordable liners would definitely have to be from NYX- they're easily accessible, great shade range and you can afford one of every bold lip that you tend to wear. If you have a Kiko near you, then hit it up. I bought a few of their lip liners amongst other bits in Europe last year and they're fab. You can't really go wrong with any drugstore lip liners I don't think unless they're smudgey or so rough that they pull on your lips. 

I've pushed the image of an old lady applying shaky lip liner out of my head and I am officially a convert. If you don't usually use lip liner or had the same thought process as me, give it a go! Your lips will look all the better and everything will just look that little bit more polished.

Getting that Glow!

Everybody's always aiming for the Victoria's Secret glow that we see in all their campaigns and on the glitter runway when those leggy ladies are strutting their stuff! For those of us who don't wake up looking like Candice Swanepoel, there are many different things we can do and put on our face to fake the glow. Fake it 'til you make it ladies!

There are different types of highlighting products on the market which for the most part can be separated into cream and powder categories. More and more we're seeing 'new technology' in products on the market that aim to give you an even more 'natural' look to your highlight. Cream contouring/highlighting that we see so much on Instagram and YouTube is more about creating depth and structure to your face rather than a glow. In the past I've been a bit afraid of highlighting the high points of my face mainly because I felt like it drew attention to any pores and made them look larger but more recently, I've found the best way to apply and the right products for me which doesn't make me look like a discoball belonging in Saturday Night Fever! I prefer to keep my highlight for the evening generally but you know, sometimes things are lookin a lil drab so you gotta add some glow in the day.

My glow endeavour began with Benefit's Sun Beam which is a gorgeous bronzey glow, perfect for tanned skin in the Summer which is when I bought it but of course kept it unopened until a few months ago.. Classic me. Anywho, regardless of what it would look best with, I was getting ready one evening and thought it was time to crack it open. I dabbed it on the high points of my cheekbones, down my nose and on my cupid's bow- all the places the experts recommend and voila! I got the glow! Subtle enough for me to have to move my face to catch the light and make it visible but enough that I could see a difference in how my skin looked. A much later addition to the highlight game but again from Benefit was their cult classic High Beam; the same consistency just a more pinky pearl shimmer. A gift from the lovely Lipstick n Linguine's giveaway, I hadn't made this purchase before because I thought my skin tone needed a more champagne toned shimmer but the old High Beam, she goes alright. Same application, same points on my face and the shimmer is perfect for day and nighttime. I just make sure to apply the cream highlight after foundation and before powder because it won't sit well on top of powdered skin. You can also add a drop of the Benefit highlighters to your foundation for an all over glow but I haven't been game enough to try this for fear of turning out like a shining moon.

Once I'd dipped my toe in the proverbial highlighting pool, that was it! Dim Light from my beloved Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette gets a lot of use but the middle and right hand shades- Incandescent Light and Radiant Light have been a little neglected. Until recently that is. Incandescent light has become my everyday brow highlight and my general face highlight for both day and evening looks because this palette is phenom. If you know these powders then you know they're designed with new technology to create even looking skin texture by reflecting light so therefore the way these make your skin glow is beautifully natural. The shimmer is super fine so there's no chunky particles and you're just left with very healthy, radiant looking skin. You may know this if you've read my past blogposts or seen my Instagram posts but for me, Hourglass can honestly do no wrong.

MAC's Porcelain Pink was in fact the first highlighter I ever purchased. It was quite a long time ago now, I just haven't really used it. I bought it at the Estee Lauder corporate store and at the time I swore I'd heard the name mentioned on YouTube but I think I was very wrong. Nothing wrong with this highlighter but I find it a little too pink for my skintone so I don't reach for it that often. I've used it on my friends and thought it looked gorgeous but just don't feel it on me. It's the standard formula for MAC highlighters so a very fine powder, easy to use and blend out. Usually products like this that don't get much use I'll giveaway but I keep challenging myself to use it and writing this post has reminded me so I'll be bringing it to the front of my cheek drawer!

Now that we've talked about things to put on your face to #getdaglow, there are a few things you can do for your skin to get it looking more radiant and at its best. Water! Drink a lot of it, all day everyday. Small sips throughout the day even if you aren't hungry and this will improve skin's clarity and complexion. Moisturise! I used to be one of the sinners who thought because their skin was more oily that I didn't need to moisturise as much/twice a day. Ba boooooooow- wrong. Your skin then tries to overcompensate and it just makes things worse (I might go more into this in a skincare post but not sure yet). By moisturising you help to balance your skin and it'll look more radiant and plump.

They're my two quick and easy tips for things you can do for yourself but if you just want a lil extra VS glam then go artificial and light yo'self up girl! What is your favourite highlighting product? Do you prefer cream or powder products?

Liebster Award

I've seen this 'Liebster Award' post doing the rounds since I started my blog and never had a clue what it was about but now I've been tagged and caught onto the trend! So this is kind of blogger chainmail and it basically works like a normal tag except you answer the questions then create your own for the next lot of bloggers that you choose to tag.

So I was tagged by the lovely Jessie, check out her blog for all things beauty and more!  

Rules:

1. POST ELEVEN FACTS ABOUT YOURSELF.

2. ANSWER THE ELEVEN QUESTIONS PROVIDED BY THE PERSON WHO NOMINATED YOU AND THEN CREATE AN ELEVEN-QUESTION SET FOR THE NEXT GROUP OF NOMINEES. 

3. CHOOSE ELEVEN PEOPLE TO NOMINATE AND LINK THEM IN THE POST. 

4. LET YOUR NOMINEES KNOW THEY'VE BEEN TAGGED - AND NO TAG-BACKS! 

5. NOMINATE BLOGS UNDER 200 FOLLOWERS.

11 Facts About Me:

1. I never know what to say when people ask 'facts' about me or interesting things.

2. I finished my uni degree at the end of last year and now have to decide what I want to do with my life.

3. I'm working in retail to avoid joining the adult world. 

4. I love to travel. 

5. At some point (soonish?) I'd like to move overseas.

6. Brunch is my favourite.

7. I enjoy baking.

8. I always have a beauty/accessories wishlist as long as my arm.

9. I used to want to be a fashion designer/in the fashion industry.

10. I like to sew. 

11. I can speak ok French and a bit better than ok Italian. 

Jessie's Questions:

1. What's your favourite food?

I think either Italian or all the Asians (specifically Japanese & Vietnamese).

2. Where would you like to travel to?

Spain, Maldives, South East Asia, Netherlands and sooo many more. 

3. What's your favourite lipstick?

Noooope sorry. Too hard!

4. What's your makeup bag must-have?
I may be the only beauty obsessive that doesn't actually have a makeup bag but I do always carry around blotting papers and powder for a quick retouch.

5. How long have you been blogging for?
Still pretty fresh in the blogging game, only since January of this year. 

6. Naked face or naked nails?
Naked nails I think.

7. What's your favourite place to shop for beauty products?
Mecca Cosmetica/Maxima for sure! If overseas then of course the mothership- Sephora!

8. How can a person win your heart?
Good humour and kind heart. 

9. What's your favourite quote?
I'm not really a quote person but  I do have an Audrey Hepburn quote written on a mini whiteboard near where I get ready every morning- 
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."

10. What was the inspiration behind your blog name?
I originally was going to name it Beauty & Bits (catchy right..) so through brainstorming and saying names out aloud I somehow got to Beautylocale. 

11. If you could be any celebrity, who would you be?

Oh I don't know.. Ellen or Oprah maybe? They do a lot of good, make people happy and look like they enjoy what they do. 



The Eleven Beauties I Nominate-

Nicole - Nicolesbeautybabble
Dani- KaBOOMCosmetics
Rosa- LipsticknLinguine
Tahana Lee-TahanaLeeBeauty
Louise- TheBeautyVine
Dana- DarlingDeeDee
Sarah- BowsandPleats
Brittany- BrittersBlog
Jessica- TakenbySurprise
Jacquelyn- HeyThereJacquelyn
Bec- BeautyBloggingWithBec



My Questions:

1. What is your favourite thing about blogging?
2. Which part of your morning routine do you most dread doing?
3.Who do you look for for beauty inspiration?
4. Where are you from?
5. If you could live anywhere in the world, where and why?
6. Which high-end beauty product would you love most but can't justify?
7. Which beauty brand do you wish was available near you? (if you're not in Australia)
8. Which beauty product do you hoard/collect most?
9. Which beauty trend are you not game enough to try?
10. Which item can't you live without?
11. What makeup/beauty don't do you do?

The Luxury Face Mask

GlamGlow is a high-end face mask brand that gets quite a bit of hype on social media and YouTube but at quite a high price point, I was a little hesitant to take the plunge but then I had a yolo/feeling spendy moment and thought really, if this can improve my skin then it is worth the pennies! I bought  Super Mud months ago from MeccaCosmetica but it was one of those things that I didn't want to use  because it's an expensive product. Anyone else have that logic?! It's ridiculous I know, and it's why things can sometimes go to waste in my collection. (I'm working on it I swear!) Another reason I hadn't opened it yet was because I had so many masks already open and on the go so I didn't really want to add the collection hence I waited to finish a few of them.

not the most appealing looking product

GlamGlow's time to shine finally came last week and boy, did it shine! I came home from a long day at work and was feeling a mask so I double cleansed and removed all my makeup and opened the little pot of muddy goodness. For $70+ the size of the pot looks ridiculously small but they say you'll get 17 uses for full-face or over 100 uses as a spot treatment. From this I took the less is more approach and just put a thin layer all over my face; as I've seen in reviews and on YouTube it dries to a light grey on the majority of your face and in the spots that it's targeting more deeply it stays a darker colour. Hard to explain but if you've used it you'll probably understand or even if you've seen photos. I think it recommends to leave the mask on for 15-20 mins and I probably was closer to the 20-25 minute mark by the end, I just got a bit distracted. As it is a clay mask it dries quite stiff so don't put this on before you want to eat or have some serious discussions or laugh or really make any facial expression 'cos it won't be happening. I used a face washer (flannel) and warm water to remove it which was super easy and I could honestly see a big improvement in the redness of my breakouts and skin in general and once dried it felt super smooth. It calmed my skin but also brought some icky bits to the surface so improved overall clarity.

A couple of minutes after application

The next night (or night after) I used it as a spot treatment on my more deep/blind spots which I probably left on for 10-15mins and they definitely felt reduced afterwards. Since putting a photo up on Instagram I've been told that the Super Mud is no longer sold in Australia due to some ingredient that it contains.. slightly worrying but I guess it must just be Australian regulation because it's still readily available overseas and online if you're interested. If anyone knows more on that please feel free to inform me! Now that I'm convinced of it's magic I'm very eager to try more from GlamGlow especially Thirsty Mud and their newest addition, Power Mud- a dual cleanse treatment that turns to oil and is apparently great for heavy makeup users like myself who for the most part wears foundation on the daily. GlamGlow if you're listening (or MeccaCosmetica for that matter) please bring more of your range to Australia!

Find me on Bloglovin!

I'm still getting the hang of this blogosphere thing but today I joined Bloglovin so now I've got all my favourite blogs in one easy feed that I can leisurely read through and spend hours of my life lusting over more makeup and beauty products that I don't need. (need.. pfft. what is need?)

Follow me on bloglovin and leave yours below!

Click the icon on the right to follow my blog >>>

Review | L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil

You may have seen me mention L'Occitane on here before or definitely on my instagram. They just get it right when it comes to bodycare in my book. I'm especially a big fan of their hand moisturisers which I always have in my handbag because they come in the perfect size, absorb quickly, are available in beautiful scents and leave my hands feeling nice and nourished. The brand originated in Provence, South of France which is where my Grandma lives so I always love using their products because it makes me think of her, the beautiful fields of lavender and sunflowers and the picturesque countryside.

For Christmas last year I was generously given a large gift set of L'Occitane's Amande range, none of which I had tried before. Someone please tell me where I have been and why I haven't tried anything from it before?! It came with one of the hand moisturisers that I mentioned before which went straight to the handbag, finished it too quickly and I even managed to convert a moisturiser-hater to these because they don't leave your hands feeling greasy or icky but rather fresh and fab smelling. Another goody that came in the gift set was the shower oil which I've definitely seen on the beautysphere- be it Instagram, YouTube or blogs, I'm positive I've seen this quite a bit. Thing is that it is a bit pricey so I don't think I would've really be inclined to spend that much myself on a body wash but now that I've been exposed, nothing else will ever do. Spoiler alert: this stuff is the bomb.com. I use it together with  my Body Shop exfoliating body polisher  which is a nylon towel that can be washed so it's great for daily use. Two pumps of the oil onto the towel, it'll lather up a little and you will hear the angels sing. It not only smells absolutely divine but it leaves your skin feeling like nothing I've ever used in the shower. Admittedly this is my first shower oil but I've used similar products and a few in-shower moisturisers but no, they do not hold a candle to this lil beauty. Your skin feels nourished and hydrated and no surprise, it smells fab; I don't find the scent lingers too long throughout the day on my skin but could just be me or maybe I just can't smell it on myself. 

What they say: A customer favourite. Transforms into a lavish, softening foam--original and unique in texture--that leaves a satin-like softness all over the body. Rich in almond oil and nourishing lipids. Cleanses gently to impart a delectable perfume. Keep handy in bath or shower as an extra-pampering alternative to Shea Butter Soap and our fragrance soaps.

What I say: As I said, I don't see myself using anything else for a good while because this just is an amazing product. They say you can also use it as a shaving base so I'll give that a go as well. The fact that this gives my skin added moisture than a standard body wash and cuts down on steps for me in the morning, I am more than keen for. Also as an award winner, you can't go wrong! 

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil is priced from $36

Review | NYX Butter Glosses

This is probably only the 16272829th post on NYX's Butter Glosses but ah well, I just wanted to share my thoughts with the blogosphere as well. Now that Target has answered many an Aussie beauty's prayer and brought NYX to us, these are much more readily available and still under $10 if I'm not wrong. With 30% off at Target a while ago now, I did pick up a sneaky two more glosses in the sale but they aren't photographed because I took these before then so these are the original few I've bought online from both Cherry Culture and Beauty Joint.

Before these I really wasn't a huge fan of lipgloss at all, I just thought them to be sticky and fussy and not your hair's best friend when you're walking in the wind. Butter glosses have me 100% converted though- since getting into these I've been buying and trying a lot more glosses and I'm slowly but surely understanding their purpose. These are still my favourite formula of gloss that I've tried in my rediscovery of the gloss because they smell absolutely amazing like sweet vanilla, aren't sticky or tacky and feel really nice on the lips. If I'm wearing these at work and talking non stop they aren't the most long lasting and they don't stain which is a plus because it makes for an easy reapplication. 

My favourite shades have to be Creme Brûlée and my more recent purchase- Tiramisu. Both are beautiful natural lip shades and just go with everything and anything. If you haven't boarded this bandwagon then what you waiting for?!

L-R: Peach Cobbler, Strawberry Parfait, Tiramisu, Maple Blondie, Vanilla Cream Pie, Creme Brulee

Plus they have the cutest names!