Blog Sale Updated! (NARS, Hourglass, Benefit, Stila and more)

I have far too much makeup that I don't even use; therefore, I need to clear out some space.

If you are interested in any of these products, please send an email to embersandtwilight@gmail.com with 'Blog Sale' as the subject. 

You are responsible for shipping costs. I am willing to ship internationally (everything except nail polish and fragrance are
good to go overseas). I will give you a shipping quote based off the Aus post website. I am not responsible for any lost or damaged packages. 

I am willing to negotiate prices.  If items don't sell, I will just be donating them anyway, so if you want to suggest alternative prices, I will take them into consideration.

Payment can be made via Paypal or Direct deposit if in Australia.  All prices are in Australian dollars.

Eye liners:

Pencils:

Eye of Horus Charcoal Obsidian Goddess Pencil (Used x2)   $5
Mirenesse Cat Eyes Liner in Kitty Brown (Used x1)  $2
Mirenesse Cat Eyes Liner in Chartreux Mauve (Swatched)  $2
Mirenesse Cat Eyes Liner in Siamese Blue (Used x1)  $2
Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Amun (bronze) (Used x1)  $5
Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Osiris (black/charcoal) (Used x1)  $5
Mirenesse Inside Out 27Hr Eye Kohl in Isis (blue) (Used x1)  $5
Avon ColorTrend in Dark Brown (Swatched)  x1

Liquid Pens:

Zana FlirtLiner in black (swatched) $2
Mirenesse Tight Liner (Hydra Gel Eye Liner) in Foxfur brown (swatched) $2
Stila Stay All Day Liquid Eye Liner in Intense Black (BN) $10
Kat Von D Tattoo Liner Deluxe Sample in black (swatched?)  $5

Eye Shadow Palettes:

Stila Daydream Palette (Used x2)  $5
MUA Starry Night (BN) $3
Chi Chi Nudes Palette (x4-5)  $4
Revlon 12 Hour Eye Shadow Palette in Lavender Meadow (used x3) $2
Mirenesse Pearl Crush Creaseless Shadows in Akoya Pearls  (used x4)  $3
Rimmel Glam Eyes HD in Black Cab (BN) $2

Mascara and Cream Eye Shadows:

Make Up Forever Smoky Extravagant Sample $0.50
Benefit Creaseless Cream Eye Shadow in Tattle Tale (used x4 [inner corner highlight]) $7
Covergirl Smoky Shadow Blast duo (used x2)  $3
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Sparkle Nude (Used x4 [lid has cracks])  $1
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in French Fries (Used x3 [lid has cracks]) $1

Single Eye Shadows:

Bourjois eyeshadow in 10 (sparkling champagne)  (Used x4)  $1
Stila eye shadow in Poppy (swatched) $4
Be a Bombshell eye shadow in bright eyes (gold) (swatched)  $1
Sephora eye shadow in Queen for a day (sparkling taupe) $2

Pigments:

From Top to Bottom, then Left to Right

Sweetpea & Fay in Tom Foolery [purple]  (BN, sealed)   $1
Mineral Luster in warmed up [pinky/peach] (BN, sealed) $1
Elf in Socialite [taupey/brown] (swatched) $1
Bellapierre in Jadoo [burgundy] (swatched) $1
Adorn sample in Jasper [champagne] (Never used) $0.25
Adorn sample in Quartz [brown] (Never used)  $0.25
Femme Fatale in Inscribe [brown/hints of red] (used x1)  $1

Lipsticks:
(Usage shown on all, unless otherwise stated)

Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Red Lotus $3
Mirenesse French Kiss Lip Cocktail in Flirtini $3
Zana in Coral Dream $3
Zana in Exotic Stella $3
Bellapierre in Mandarin $4
Face of Australia Lip Quench in Lychee Crush $2
Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight $2
Revlon Moon Drops in Goldmist Bronze $1
Revlon Lip Butter in Candy Apple $2

Lipsticks:

Too Faced in Marshmallow Bunny (swatched) $6
Lime Crime in My Beautiful Rocket (Used x1) $6
Catrice Ultimate Shine in Coralicious Pink (Used x1) $2
Australis in Lick the Icing--limited edition (swatched)  $5
MUA in 11 (nude) (swatched) $0.50
MUA in 14 (peachy/coral) (swatched) $0.50
Ulta 3 in Flamingo Pink (swatched)  $0.50
Ulta 3 in Sunkiss Me (swatched)  $0.50
Ulta 3 in Harem Pink- matte (swatched)  $0.50
BYS Color Change (blue to pink) (used x2) $0.50

Deluxe Samples and Lip Stains:

Smashbox Be Legendary in Nylon Nude (swatched) $5
Make Up Forever in N45 (swatched)  $4
Kat Von D in Celebutard (nude) (BN, sealed) $2
Hourglass gloss in Icon (swatched) $7
OCC Lip Tar in Grandma (used x2) $5
OCC Lip Tar in Strumpet (BN)  $8
Sleek Pout Paint in Peek-a-bloo (used x1) $3

Not Pictured: Bite High Pigment Pencil Mini in Pomegranate (used x1)  $6

Lipgloss:

Mirenesse Limited Edition Set #1  (BN) $5
Mirenesse Limited Edition Set #2  (BN) $5

Lipgloss:

Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in 41 (swatched) $3
Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in 44 (swatched) $3
Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in 47 (swatched) $3
Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in 50 (swatched) $3
Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine MINI in 14 (swatched) $1
Mirenesse Lip Bomb in 11 (nude) (used x1) $2
Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Liquid Lipstick in Grand Garnet (used x1) $2
Rimmel Apocalips in Stellar (swatched)  $4
Rimmel Apocalips in Celestial (swatched)  $4
Benefit Pocketpal (benetint) (Never used) $10
Essence Stay With Me in Pretty Witty (swatched)  $0.50
Korres Lip Butter Glaze in Raspberry (BN) $3

Not pictured: Mirenesse Viva Eternal Gloss in Play Bunny (bright red) (swatched) $1


Blush/Bronzer:

Nars Orgasm/Angelika Blush Duo (swatched)  $30
Essence Cherry Blossom Blush (BN) $5
Essence Home Sweet Blush in Knits for Chicks (used x2) $3
Essence Home Sweet Blush in Wool-d you cuddle me? (used x2) $3
Nars Mini Blush in Super Orgasm (swatched) $10
Mirenesse Cheeky Blush in Russian Rose MINI (Used x1)  $3
Bellapierre Mineral Blush in Desert Rose (Used x6-7)  $5
Benefit Bella Bamba Blush (Used x1)  $15
Benefit MINI Moonbeam (Never used) $5

Benefit MINI Cha Cha Tint (Never used, sealed) $5

Benefit MINI Sunbeam (Never used) $5

Zana Blush in Salsa (Used x1) $5

Clinique GWP blush in Bashful Plum (Used x2)  $1

MUA Blusher in 4 (BN, sealed)  $1

Inika Mineral Illuminiser (pink) (BN)  $10

Benefit Hoola MINI  (used x2)  $4

Lancome GWP Blush in Rose Fresque  (used x3)  $1

Essence Me and My Ice Cream Blush in Ice Bomb (Used x1)  $2

Bourjois Blush in Rose D'or  (Used x2-3)  $4

Face:

Revlon Photoready Skinlights in Bare Light (swatched) $8

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Light (used x1) $15

NARS Sheer Glow in Mont Blanc (used x5)  $40 pump included

Bobbi Brown BB Cream Deluxe Sample (15ml) (used x1)  $8

Benefit Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer (used x3)  $10

Skindinavia Makeup Finishing Spray Deluxe Sample (20ml) (Never Used)  $5

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer Deluxe Sample (5ml)  $7

Stila Cover Up Stick in 01 (used x1)  $2

Essence Cherry Blossom Highlighter (Never Used) $2

Hourglass Ambient Powder in Luminous Light (used x3)  $40

Mirenesse Forever Diamonds Powder (Used x5)  $5

Bourjois Flower Perfection Primer (swatched) $3

Benefit Boing in Shade 01 (used x4)  $5

Not pictured: Benefit That Gal Primer-- London LE packaging (Never Used) $15

Face Palettes/Other:

Savoir Faire Winter Palette/Set (only swatched, mascara never used) $10

Mirenesse Short Stack products (never used)  $5  Includes: eyeliner, lipgloss, mascara and eye shadow stick

Mirenesse Beauty Call Touch Up Palette (used x2)  $5

Skincare:

Josie Maran Argan Oil Deluxe Sample (Never Used) $8

Rose Hip Vital Rose Hip Oil (Approx. 66% remaining) $3

REN Clearcalm 3 Total Clarity Day Fluid (Approx 95% remaining) $10

St Tropez Gradual Tan in Medium Dark (Never Used) $6

Sukin Facial Moisturiser (Never Used) $3

REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask Deluxe Sample (15ml) $10

GlamGlow Youth Mud Tinglexfoliate Treatment Masque Deluxe Sample (7ml)  $8

La Mav Firming Eye Lotion (Brand New) $5

Dermologica Daily Microfoliant Deluxe Sample (used x3-4) $1 (cracks in lid)

Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturiser Deluxe Sample (15ml) (Never used)  $5

Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream Deluxe Sample (Never used) $3

Benefit Triple Performance Facial Emulsion Deluxe Sample (Never used) $3

Boscia Pink Peppermint Blotting Linens (Brand new)  $5  (strong peppermint scent) 

Lush Charity Pot 95g (Used x2-3)  $1

Face Mask/Hair Care:

Mirenesse Power Lift Dermal Firming Face Mask $3

Skinvitals H-Revive Cloth Mask $1

Skinvitals C-Brighten Cloth Mask $1

Formula 10.0.6 Orange Mud Mask (one sachet) $0.25

Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner $1.50

Bumble and Bumble Surf Shampoo and Conditioner $1.50

Nail Polish:

First Row:  ($1 each, EXCEPT OPI minis $2 each, Couleur Caramel $0.25)

Face of Australia: Once in a Blue Moon and Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy; Duri Call Me Maybe; Mirenesse Blood Red; Natio: Crimson x2; OPI: Kiss Me on My Tulips and Did it on em; Mecca: Vogue Sorbet; Couleur Caramel

Second Row: ($0.50 each)

Ulta3: Citrus, Pink hibiscus, Tangerine tango, Sea breeze swirl, Lily white, flirty bikini, Calypso holiday, Exotic Canary, Coral Reef

Third Row: ($2 each, EXCEPT Sinful colours $1, Ulta3 $0.50)

Alanna Renee: Reptar, Butterbeer, Hedwig; Sinful Colors in Hottie and Nail Junkie; Bellapierre Glitter Surprise; Ulta3 Over the Rainbow; Australis: Carnivale Chaos, Fairy Bread

Fourth Row: 

Revlon Blue Lagoon; Femme Fatale Fatal Attraction $2 each

Sally Hansen Petal Pusher $1 

Sally Hansen in Cafe au Lait $2

Rimmel Wine Not $0.50

OPI Romeo and Joliet $5

China Glaze Smoke and Ashes from the Hunger Games collection $4 

Fragrance: 

Bath and Body Works Body Spray in Carried Away Travel Size  (Never Used) $3

Bath and Body Works Body Spray in Country Chic Travel Size (Never Used) $3

Perfume Spray Samples in: Jimmy Choo 'Flash,' Marc Jacobs 'Dot,' Chloe, Escada 'Cherry in the Air,' Kenzo 'Flowerby'  Each $0.25

Clinique Aromatics Elixer Mini Spray (used x1)  $2

Not pictured:  Marc Jacobs Daisy Rollerball (used x3)  $10

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow in 'I'm Pure for Sure'

In my quarterly favourites, you saw how much I love my Missha BB cream and Lancôme Teint Idole foundation. In that post, I hinted at another foundation love and this is it- Benefit Hello Oxygen Wow!

I bought this foundation from the Benefit website without swatching it in person. I will never do that again; however, I chose very well! In fact, I got the shade closest to my skin. Score!

I really like the packaging. Prior to the perfect foundation hunt, the bottles I had did not have pumps. You just poured them out and as a result I wasted a lot. I don't think I would ever buy another foundation without a pump. It also just looks really good.

The shade I purchased was 'Ivory- I'm Pure 4 Sure.' From my research, this was the lightest, pinkest shade. I should note that from my experience, all the foundations lean towards the yellow side. This typically wouldn't be great for me, but it works and I think part of that is because the coverage is so light. I prefer foundations with light to medium coverage; however, lately my skin has been acting up on my chin and sadly this foundation doesn't cover them as well as the BB cream or Lancôme.

I apply this with my fingers. I haven't had too much success applying with a brush, but I also don't feel the need to apply with a brush. The foundation just glides onto your skin. It is quite thin and extremely light weight

It blends in really nicely

This foundation feels great on my skin and it provides a slightly dewy finish. Nothing too extreme though. Even with my combination/oily skin, I only have to powder or blot once (maybe twice if it is a bad day) during the day. I do set it with powder. I also love how it has SPF 25, which is fantastic.

I adore this foundation. It is great for everyday and I think it would suit most skin types. However, if you have really oily skin, this may not be too long lasting for you.

What I Like:
- The packaging
- How light weight it feels
- The shade match (decent range of shades)
- Great for everyday
- Slightly dewy finish

What I Don't Like:
- There really isn't a pink shade among the range
- Doesn't completely control oil

Overall, I really like this foundation. It is very natural looking and I would definitely repurchase this unless I find something better in my quest for the perfect foundation.

Benefit Eye Bright

A while ago, I purchased a Benefit kit from the Sephora store on Amazon.  Included in my kit was this product, Eye Bright.

Benefit Eye Bright

I initially bought the kit because it had Bella Bamba and the Stay Don't Stray Eye Primer (which I really love).  The Eye Bright was just a bonus product and I'm so glad it was in there.  I don't think I would have thought about purchasing it on its own.

The reason I love this product is that it is a multi-tasker.  You can apply this to the inner and outer corners of your eyes to brighten them.  It also looks really nice to highlight your brow bone.  However, the reason I love it so much is that I can easily use it on my water liner.  If you saw my post about my search for a great water line eye liner here, you know it's been a bit of a mission.  The pale pink colour fits perfectly with my skin, opening and brightening my eyes.  I think I do prefer the Paul & Joe liner for my water line, but I love that I can use this product in so many other places.

Swatch

Eye bright is really creamy and glides onto your skin.  It blends out easily by just tapping it into your skin.  I'm  so glad it was included in the kit I bought.

Have you been surprised by a product you've seen a thousand times but never really looked at?

2013 Quarterly Favourites: Summer Edition

I decided to do quarterly favourites instead of monthly favourites because I was finding I wasn't really enjoying doing the posts each month (however, I do love reading them).  For this post, I have found it a bit difficult to narrow down my favourites to ten (that was the number I set myself), but I feel that means these are all products which are genuine favourites of mine.  They will probably be favourites for many more months to come.

The top ten:

These are products I kept coming back to (mostly) everyday since the start of the year.  There are some recently acquired items and they're pretty special to have beat out some other items.

The Faves

Stila In the Light Palette:  I did a review/comparison post here of this palette.  Stila make some fantastic eye shadows (along with other items :)  I'm definitely keen to pick up another palette, most likely In the Know.

Nars Foreplay Palette:  Love these blushes.  The fuchsia one has been my fave this month.  See review here.

OPI Eurso...Euro:  This is a recently acquired nail polish.  I love the formula.  I love the colour and I love that my partner picked it out.  Check out a swatch here.

MAC Blot Powder Pressed:  I'll have a review on this sometime soonish.  I use it to set and touch up my makeup.  Just know, it gets the job done.  Very well.  Great for oily/combination skin.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in 21: I cannot say enough about how much I love this BB cream.  It's amazing.  I wear this about everyday to work.  See review here.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H in 005:  If I'm not wearing the BB cream, I'm wearing this or another foundation which I'm currently in love with.  I'll reveal the other foundation at another time.  I struggled for a long time finding foundations that match my skin and now I'm obsessed with finding more (even though I don't need anymore :)  I made a mini review about this here.

Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop:  I love lip butters.  They're my kind of lipstick.  Pigmented and low maintenance.  I've been wearing lollipop a lot this summer.  I'll be posting a FotD soon with this as a star.

L'Oreal NutriBalm Tinted Lip Balm in Nudy Coral: Love. Love. Love.  This is pretty much a lip balm with the slightest amount of colour (emphasis on slight), but it is fantastic!  The subtle colour and shine is great for my work makeup.  I will be writing a post comparing this to YSL Volupte Sheer Candy.

Kosmea Skin Clinic Rescue Balm: I mention when I bought this I loved it as a lip balm; however, I have also seen firsthand it's ability to mend and fade scarring.  My partner cut his nose at work and it has scarred (even after attempts to avoid this during the healing process).  I told him to put the Rescue Balm on it just to see what would happen and what do you know? It has worked.  The scar is slowly, slowly fading, but it is so much better than it was at the start.  I was so mad at him (even though it was a complete accident) because in less than 3 months, we'll be getting married and there will be so many photos!

Finally, Etude House Missing U Hand Cream Harp Seal: This is the most adorable packaging I have ever seen.  I'm obsessed with seals and I couldn't pass this up.  It's supposed to smell like Green Tea (I'm not sure if it actually does, but I also cannot pinpoint what it smells like) and it's actually a pretty good hand cream.  It leaves your hands feeling really smooth.  I will keep this container forever!

Honourable Mentions: 

Okay, so I have cheated, slightly, and included three honourable mentions.  These were products that I have (a) fallen in love with recently, but the blogger world has been loving it forever, (b) loved it for a while now and have used it a lot more this quarter or (c) really like it, but it just narrowly missed the cut.

Honourable mentions

Bioderma: it seems that everyone has an opinion of this.  I thought it was overrated, but after using it for a while now, I cannot see myself without it.

Fine One One: See my review here.  I still love it.

Bellapierre Mineral Blush in Desert Rose: The swatch leans a bit too orange, but it is definitely peachy.  I adore peach blushes and this is a great everyday one.  It's really finely milled and applies extremely well.

Bellapierre Mineral Blush in Desert Rose

Desert Rose swatch

What were your favourites this month/quarter?

Benefit Box o' Powders

It is no secret that I love Benefit.  I have yet to be disappointed by their products (some have had rocky starts...cough..tints...cough, but we've made it through).  I am in love with their Box o' Powders.  I love blush.  I love cute packaging  I love quality.  These boxes contain all of these things.

The growing collection

I have begun to acquire a small collection of these beauties.  You can check out my Sugarbomb post here (it's been mentioned heaps of times on this blog).  All together, there are 9 box o' powders.  I currently have four full sizes and two minis of Hoola and Coralista.  Each of these blushes is quite distinct and they all smell lovely (Bella Bamba smelling the best!).

L: Sugarbomb, R: Dandelion 

Sugarbomb was my first Benefit blush and it is still my favourite (though only narrowly).  I love the shimmer.  I love the colour.  It looks great on my skin.

Dandelion is marketed as a face brightening powder.  It is a very pale pink and the swatch below is applied quite heavily.  It does brighten up your complexion and it is buildable.  This works quite well on fair skin, but I don't know how well it would show up on darker complexions.  I like this one, but I can just as easily live without it.

L: Hervana, R: Bella Bamba

Hervana is another great blush.  I never swatched it until now and I was surprised by how light it was.  For some reason, I thought it was more like Sugarbomb (most likely because they're both swirl-ish designs).  This is a cool toned pink and contains virtually no shimmer, for these reasons, it's a great everyday blush.  This one also comes with an angled brush in the box (I love these brushes and don't know why they get hate).

Bella Bamba is the most recent addition to my collection.  This is marketed as a 3D blush if applied correctly.  I'm not so sure about that... to be honest, I'm not too sure exactly what is meant by 3D.  With that said, this blush is gorgeous!  It is vibrant and extremely shimmery.  It's definitely not a subtle blush, though you can apply it lightly and build it up.

Swatches L to R: Sugarbomb, Dandelion, Hervana, Bella Bamba

All of these blushes hold up really well throughout the day.  They're soft and apply easily to your cheeks.  They look and smell fantastic.  They are a bit pricey ($28), but you get 0.28 oz vs a Nars blush for $28 for 0.16 oz then they're a pretty good deal.

What is your favourite box o' powder?

Benefit Fine One One

Yesterday, I received Fine One One by Benefit (and yes, I may have a slight Benefit obsession, but it is well merited :)  This is their latest product and was released in December.

So shiny

This product is described as a 'sheer brightening color for cheeks and lips.'  Basically, it's a cream blush.  I'm not the biggest fan of cream blushes, which could be because I haven't tried too many good ones, but I really like this one.  It glides onto your skin and blends really easily and smoothly and totally doesn't mess with your foundation underneath.

Colours from L to R: pink champagne, sheer watermelon and soft coral

Fine One One is made up of three colours: coral, watermelon and a pink champagne highlighter on the top.  When blended together, these colours look amazing on your cheeks and can be built up very easily.  It can also be turned sideways and used on your lips.  I was skeptical whether it would work as a lip product, but I was pleasantly surprised.  It leaves you with a nice coral colour and feels rather smooth on your lips, albeit slightly drying.  I like to use Baby Lips on top of it to give a bit more moisture. 

Swatch: L: swipe, R: blended

It is a bit pricey ($30USD for 8.0g), but I think the design, formula and portability are worth it.

Don't forget about my mini-giveaway.  I'm going to include some additional benefit samples!

Favourites from the Year that Was (2012) + A Small Giveaway

Hey all!!  Sorry, it's been a while.  I sort of got caught up with the festive season, but now I'm back!  I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and start to 2013.  I wanted to give you a glimpse of some of my Christmas gifts because they are sure to be the content of some upcoming posts!  I also wanted to share my 12 favourite beauty products from this past year. 

This Christmas I received a lot of really great gifts from family and friends.  I now have some more Benefit, Stila, and Mirenesse products which I can't wait to share with you in the coming weeks.

Benefit Goodies

Heaps of other Goodies

Now, onto my favourite products of 2012.  It was quite hard to narrow down all the wonderful products I have encountered and loved this year.  To be honest, this has been the first year I have every really been interested in beauty products, so I've learnt a lot about what works best for me.


Makeup Favourites of 2012

L to R: Benefit They're Real, MUA Pro-Brow, Benefit Sugarbomb, Mirenesse Magic Touch Foundation, L'Oreal Color Riche, Revlon Lipbutter in Tutti Frutti

I cannot express how much I adore Benefit's They're Real mascara.  It is by the far the best mascara I've tried.  I love how it lengthens and curls my lashes instantly!  See my review here.

The MUA Pro-Brow kit is a relatively new purchase from Black Friday.  I haven't been too concerned with my eyebrows before aside from the occasional pluck.  However, this (super affordable) product has made me realise how good my eyebrows can look haha.  I'll definitely be using this in the years to come. 

You all should know by now how much I love my Sugarbomb blush from Benefit.  It looks great on my skin and I cannot wait to experiment more with my new box o' powders!  See my review of Sugarbomb here. 

2012 has been a year of experimentation with foundation.  I find it so hard to find ones that match perfectly with my skin.  Often times I feel as though foundation make my skin look 'dirty.'  However, I have found some foundations that fit okay.  My favourite (that is affordable; I really like Lancome, but alas) has been Mirenesse's Magic Touch Foundation in Vanilla.  I ordered a travel size and then was lucky enough to get a full size in my December Beauty Box!  Score!  I only need a bit of this and often mix it with Benefit's That Gal primer to make it a bit lighter. 

I have loved a lot of nail polishes this year, so this was a really tough choice.  I thought of OPI's THe Living Daylights and Femme Fatale's A Tisket, A Tasket, but ultimately I used L'Oreal's Color Riche formulas the best.  You honestly don't really need a top coat with these babies!  See my review here.

My favourite lip product was also a tough choice.  I have been exposed to many lipsticks and glosses and balms that I used a lot.  In the end, I settled with Revlon's Lipbutters.  My most used shade is Tutti Frutti.  So good for summer.  


Hair and Skincare Favourites of 2012

L to R: Cedel Blow Dry Faster, ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanse, Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish, The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner, Clinique DDMG, Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost

My favourite hair product this year was definitely Cedel Blow Dry Faster.  It is remarkable how quickly your hair dries once you use this.  See review here.  A close runner-up was Tresemme's Split End Remedy Shampoo.

I know I said ages ago that I would be posting about my skincare regime and I have not forgotten!  The following products will be a preview.  I was never really concerned with skincare until the second half of this year.  Since then, I have tried a lot of brands and products.  My favourite cleanser is ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanser.  It's a cream cleanser, it smells divine and it leaves your skin feeling clean and smooth.

I love exfoliating products.  I find that they feel like they're actually doing something whereas cleansers are so, you know, gentle.  My current favourite is Benefit's Refined Finish Facial Polish.  It has the perfect consistency in my opinion and leaves you skin looking bright.

 Toners have become a staple in my regime.  I've tried a few, but my favourite by far is The Body
 Shop's Seaweed Clarifying Toner.  It's amazing.  Plus, it has no alcohol in it!  And it leaves your skin feeling tingling fresh.

I'm quite picky when it comes to moisturisers and it seems often I'm too eager to dislike one rather than like it.  However, I feel in love with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel the moment I used it.  It's geared towards Oily/Combination skin and it leaves your skin feeling soft.  My favourite part is that it also doesn't make my face red.  Most products turn my face red upon application, until they sink in, but this one doesn't at all.

Lust Have It Eco introduced me to rose-hip oil in the form of Kosmea's Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost.  It has definitely enhanced my skin since I've started using it. 


Now for a little Giveaway!  

I wanted to share some of my favourite products with you!  Included will be a Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, a sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish and two bottles of your choice of L'oreal's Color Riche nail polish.  As a result of the nail polish, this giveaway will be restricted to Australian Residents only.  You must also be at least 18 years of age to participate.

L to R: Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, L'oreal Color Riche Nail Polishes, Sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

OotD: Nicki Inspired

This past weekend I went to the Nicki Minaj concert.  I'm not the hugest fan of Nicki; it's not really my style of music.  With that said, it was pretty amazing.  Her concert was such a spectacle.  The set amazing.  The lighting amazing.  The special effects amazing.  It was a great night and the support acts offered plenty of opportunities to people watch.  I wanted to share my outfit, make-up and nails for the event!

My dress is from Modcloth.  I love its vibrant, primary colours.  Plus it has a bit of tulle underneath to fill it out on the bottom.
My shoes were from Target.  They're a great pair of navy wedges. 

The key features of my make-up were my bright, aqua eye liner and my bright cheeks.  After seeing Mishelle's post about the Australis 10 hour eye liner, I knew I had to get it!  I paired this with Gold Card and Pretty in Mink eyeshadow from Benefit's She's So Jetset kit and They're Real Mascara.  For my cheeks I used Femme Fatale's Velvet Cupcake.  Stay tuned for a more in-depth post.

For my nails, I had to use colours from the OPI Nicki Minaj collection!  I chose my two favourites from the collection, Fly and Save Me.  I have two coats of Fly with a coat of Save Me painted on top.   I really like the combination.

Have you been to any extravagant concerts lately?

Review: Benefit Box o' Powder in Sugarbomb

Here is a review for Benefit's box o' powder blush in Sugarbomb. I got this a few weeks ago off the Benefit website. It came with a deluxe sample of Posietint (which I haven't been too impressed with, but more on that later).

The brush is really soft and feels good on your skin

The colours are quite bright and when blended together they create a very peachy glow on the cheeks.
As with most other Benefit products, the blush does have a fragrance. It is really subtle and pleasant to the nose.

The four colours

It takes a few swipes to get a decent amount of pigmentation, which could be a drawback for some. However, I think it is worth a try. It looks amazing on the skin.

Swatch: Starting with the Orange-ish colour and going anti-clockwise.  The final swatch is the four blended

I have a sample of Bella Bamba which I haven't had the chance to try.  I also have the Hervana and Dandelion blushes on their way (they're Christmas presents) and I will certainly review those during the holidays!

What is your favourite Benefit blush?

Rave: Benefit She's So Jetset

A couple of weeks ago I received my She's So Jetset from my Benefit haul (found here).  I love it!  I have asked for more Benefit products for Christmas; I really think they are worth the price.  The American price that is, totally not the Australian price.

1. POREfessional  I love this product!  I included it in my October Favourites (found here).  It leaves your skin really soft and makes it look way smoother.  Here are some before and after shots:

Before

After

2. Eye Shadow Palette These are fantastic eye shadows.  They have a creamy texture, great colour and shimmer.  I am a sucker for nudes and these certainly impress me. 

Colours: Champagne Please, Gold Card, Pretty in Mink and Elegant Expresso

L to R: Champagne Please, Gold Card, Pretty in Mink and Elegant Expresso

 Champagne Please and Pretty in Mink are my top picks of the four, but I use all of them.

3. First-Class Face Powder  The box doesn't provide any information as to the names of these two shades.  They are quite subtle and create a peachy look on skin.  They have a pleasant smell and texture, but I would prefer a bit more pigmentation.  With that said, you can just layer the blush to create a more vibrant look.

The brush is pretty nice for one coming with a kit. 

L to R:  Colours blended, Lighter (L) and Pinker (R)

 4.  Life on the A List Lip Gloss   To start with, I must say I prefer lipstick to lip gloss; however, the formula of this one is quite pleasant.  It's thick, but not sticky and feels nice on your lips.  The colour is very sheer, light pink.  It adds gloss, but that is about it.  If you're looking something with more body, this isn't your colour.  Yet, it still may be nice to have in your collection.

As you can see, very sheer.

 5.  They're Real Mascara  This was also listed in my October Favourites.  See here for photos and review.  This is a must have mascara.

I would definitely recommend this kit!  It's fantastic for value ($34 from the Benefit website).  The packaging is really cute and I will definitely be taking it with me on trips!

Have you tried any Benefit products?