Tegania's Thoughts

Making Me Happy... (over the last two weeks)

2012-02-24T05:00:00.000+10:00

Still loving my camera...

...and taking pictures of random stuff with it. A wedding getaway combi van? Awesome!

Beach side chilling...

...after attempting to surf... and failing...

Delicious meals at Byron Bay...

And again...

Sunsets...

and beaches...

The valentines day card from my boyfriend <3

...Plus the stupid shit he thinks is hilarious.

and getting away to places out west, where this Kingaroy girl feels like she is more at home.

Review: Maybelline Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner

2012-02-23T05:00:00.000+10:00

I have never been a fan of eyeliner pens. Yes they are easy to use - it is just like drawing with a crayon back in primary school - but seriously, they dry out really quickly, they are never as dark and glossy as gel or "pot" liquid counterparts, and they never last as long. Which are all the same problems that I have found with this eyeliner. Although I know a shiteload of people love them, so this is just how it works for me.

It is very easy to use. Draw it on, easy peasy, and you are left with a lovely thin, neat line. I am a fan of thin eyeliner which you can draw over to be thicker if needed, so this is a massive plus. Sadly, that is where this eyeliner and I end our friendship. The black is no where near as opaque as I like with my eyeliner, nor is it as glossy. I also found that while this eyeliner was as smudge proof as can be on the dry skin on my hands, it began to smudge after about 4 hours on the oily skin on my eyelids. Not ideal during a working day.

I believe that this would work better for those just getting used to applying liquid eyeliner (before graduating to a gel eyeliner, or a "pot" eyeliner), and for those who have dryer skin on their eyelids. If you fit into either of those catergories, maybe give it a go. Sadly, this eyeliner will not replace my beloved Rimmel Professional Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner, but if I am going for a softer look witha less dramatic line, this might be the one that I turn to.

This eyeliner was won as a prize. I am in no way obligated to review this product.

Work FOTD + what I think is a wicked sweet tip!

2012-02-22T05:00:00.000+10:00

Foundation: Clinique Superbalanced in Alabaster

Concealer: Face of Australia Concealer in Neutral (for blemishes), Essence Stay Natural Concealer (for under eyes)

Blush: Australis Creme Blush in Flirtatious Pink - blended using my fingers onto the apples of my cheeks. This is an absolutely gorgeous colour, and it applies like a dream. I love it!

Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder - applied with a large fluffy brush

Bronzer: MAC Bronzer in Golden - applied in a 3 shape across my face (along the hair line, under the cheek bones and under the jaw line)

Highlighter: Benefit Girl Meets Pearl - my current favourite tip - apply using a foundation brush! Makes it easy, oh so easy, to blend. Hurrah for simple concepts which work. Apply along the tops of your cheeks bones and the tops of your eyebrows in a boomerang shape.

Eyeshadow: Rimmel Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe

Eyeliner: Rimmel Professional Glam Eyes Liquid Eyeliner in Black - still my absolute favourite, that is how awesome it is.

Eyebrows: Maybelline Define A Brow in Dark Blonde - very lightly "scuffed" over my eyebrows to draw them back in (although they are growing fatter, just not longer. Sad panda).

Mascara: Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara*

Lipstick (not pictured): Chanel Rouge Coco in Mademoiselle or Chanel Rouge Coco in Chintz. When taking these photos it was Mademoiselle, which came out a little brown in the photos. Dab lightly with this if you are as pale as I am, it needs a light touch to bring out the rose.

*Provided for review purposes by Primped.com.au, in accordance with my disclosure policy.

So there you go. This is basically my work makeup rut at the moment, which I am sure will change as other items get pushed into my makeup routine. I find that I get into a bit of a rut, the main change I make is the colour of my lipstick!

How outrageous do you wear your makeup to work? Do you find youself in a makeup rut too?

Review: Rimmel ScandalEyes Mascara

2012-02-21T05:00:00.000+10:00

"This Rimmel revolution has 3x the collagen* for plumper, sculpted lashes, 3x the keratin* for strong and healthy lashes..." Sure, that may be, but Rimmel also states that this mascara is designed to give you lashes where "volume will scream". Well, not really, but I guess for a drugstore mascara it tries it's hardest.

Rimmel Scandaleyes claim to fame is the ENORMOUS brush, which is designed to get every single lash, and help volumize those little suckers til you have lashes where the volume "screams". This is a great idea, except the brush is SO huge that, if you are anything like me, you will poke yourself in the eye a few times by accident. I was reading through some reviews and I am not the only one who has found this, the majority of people took a few days to get used to it. The large brush also means that it is really difficult to get right to the base of the lash without poking yourself in the eye. Sad.

The rest of the formulation however is fine. It gives my lashes nice length and definition. I really have no idea how to tell if my lashes are strong and healthy, they look the same as they always have but I have only been using this mascara for a week or so, so I can't comment, although I will keep you posted. I don't find that my lashes are as volumised as they are with the likes of Benefit They're Real or Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash, but it is in line with Maybelline Colossal, which is a favourite mascara of mine.

The formula washes off easily with warm water in the shower, which I prefer than stuffing around with makeup remover. It is reasonably long lasting, however be prepared for OCD brow bone rubbing if you have small eyes and long lashes like myself.

So all in all a pretty decent drugstore mascara, once you get used to the HUGE brush.

I recieved this mascara for review purposes from PRIMPED.com.au. This has in no way affected my review, as per the disclosure policy.

Outfit of the Day - weekend adventuring!

2012-02-20T05:00:00.000+10:00

This week my boyfriend has been on night shift, and we got one day together. To make the most of the day we went up to Mt Tamborine, had iced chocolates (just in the nick of time before closing) and snuggled in the back of the rape van whilst watching an absolutely glorious sunset.

I adore my midi skirt, I have worn it for you all before, it is one of my favourite items of clothing. I am also in love with my lace bolero, it is amazing.

What did you get up to this weekend, I would love to hear your stories!

Perving: my current skincare routine

2012-02-17T05:00:00.000+10:00

Things are starting to get under control with my skin at the moment, after my cry for help to my beloved twitter tweeps. I know that as soon as I say that things are going to go hay wire, but let's see how well it lasts. Please note: click on any of the links below for full reviews of the products if you are interested as you read through.

Morning:

Oh morning, you are so difficult with your 5am starts. To begin with, I wash my face in the shower with my beloved Skin Juice Pulp Cleanser. It contains Lactic Acid to help clear up congestion, but it doesn't dry my skin out.

I then stumble out of the shower, apply my Akin Rosehip oil, followed by my Invisible Zinc ESP moisturizer (which is almost empty, so is being swapped in for a newbie to me - Cosmedics Mineral Pro Triple Defense Protection Sunscreen - let's see how it goes). Make up follows, however I wish to play with my face that day, it could be anything!

Evening:

In the evening I have usually washed my face before gym, so this might be modified somewhat, but I will give you the generalisation. I roughly remove makeup using my Face of Australia Makeup Remover Wipes, then I give my face a wack with the Clarisonic with my Mario Badescu Keratoplast Soap (a cleanser which is supposed to be supremely gentle for sensitive skin). My clarisonic purging is now starting to die down, and I am in love with the buzzy machine. I use it at night to ensure I remove every milligram of makeup, and to help my serums soak in better.

I have also been exfoliating occasionally using Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. After visiting the Harbour Day Spa I was told to use this every night to remove the dead skin cells from my poor suffering dry skin, however I have found that it is drying my skin out more. I have reverted it back to once every second to third day, which is faring much better!

Once out of the shower I apply my favourite eye cream of the moment - Jurlique Purely Age-Defying Eye Cream. My serum is then applied and allowed to soak in for a moment, I was using Be in Awe Lightening Serum which did wonders with my Clarisonic purge pigmentation, however it ran out. So, as my skin is still really dry, my serum of choice at the moment is Jurlique Age-Defying Facial Serum, which is doing wonders to rejuvenate my tired, dry skin. My night time moisturizer has just changed, I was using my Skin Juice Drench Oil, however it ran out a few nights ago, so I cracked open a new addition, EchoLife Jojoba Oil. A few nights in and I can give you my first impressions - I am impressed. This Jojoba Oil is quite light, it soaks into my skin after about ten minutes and doesn't leave an oil film, as I have experienced with the one other Jojoba Oil I have tried. It was so greasy that I used it up on my decolletage and legs to finish the bottle off. I don't believe that will be occurring with this EchoLife Jojoba Oil however, I have a feeling this is precious stuff!

So there you have it. What I am applying to my face every day. I am trying to keep it as simple as possible, because my poor sensitive skin is still going a little crazy. I will get there one day!

What is your current skin care routine?

Beach Beauty Essentials (Plus some photos from our Byron Trip!)

2012-02-16T05:00:00.000+10:00

Since meeting my lovely Tim I have become a bit of a beach baby. That is what happens when you date a surfer. So I feel that I have become fully qualified to write this post, and I hope it can be of some use, Australia is the land of the beaches after all!

1. Sunscreen: This is pretty obvious, but I thought I would give you my pick for my favourite sunscreen - Neutrogena Ultimate Sport. Four hours water resistant, smells nice, DRY TO TOUCH. Oh yes, no greasy evil feeling here, only nice soft skin which barely feels like it has sunscreen on at all.

I also wear a moisturizer with SPF 30+ on my face (currently Invisible Zinc ESP) always. Beach days require an extra layer for me (I quite literally burn in 5 mins without sunscreen) so on top of this I use my beloved Invisible Zinc Silk Shield Foundation. SPF30+ plus reasonably water resistant, it helps you to keep a cute face the whole time you are at the beach.

2. Lip balm with sunscreen: People often forget their lips, ears and feet when applying sunscreen, but you do not want skin cancers cut off your lips when you get older, I cannot think of anything more terrifying! Your lips are so important for aesthetics and function (eating, anyone?). My lip balm of choice at the moment? Yes to Carrots Pomegranate Conditioning Lip Butter. SPF 15+ can be bettered however, so I have been applying my beloved Face of Australia Lip Quenches on top, picking and choosing between Lychee Crush and Pink Champagne. God I love those babies. Lychee Crush was my choice on the weekend, but pink champagne was my choice for Big Day Out. Choices, Choices. Basically, pick a sunscreen based lip product and wear it, or I will chase you down with my Lip Quench lipsticks!

3. Heat protectant spray for hair: This might sound a little silly, because it is highly unlikely you are going to bust out a straightener and go for your life at the beach. I have found that heat protectant spray is fantastic for protecting your hair and providing some much needed moisture as it gets fried in the sun, but it is also great for spraying in your hair when you get out the ocean to help untangle those beachy tresses. What a helpful little multitasker.
My pick? Dove Damage Therapy Heat Defense Protect and Shine Mist. It works wonderfully and it is cheap as chips (AUD RRP $8.41).

My beach beauty arsenal

Now, on to some holiday happy schnaps!

Doing everything I had mentioned above post swim (hence wet hair, all combed through with heat protectant)

Ahhh holidays - take me back!

The Half Way Point: #FebPhotoADay Challenge

2012-02-15T09:18:00.003+10:00

I thought I would do an inventory of my Feb Photo A Day so far, to look back on the memories and have something concrete to look back on. I had to play catch up a little, I am such a slacker!

Day One: Your View Today

The view from my back balcony door.

Day Two: Words

Studying for prac. So many words.

Day Three: hands

Day Four: A stranger

Strangers at Brisbane Race Day

Day Five: 10am

I missed 10am because I was at work. Had to run out the back and sneak a photo!

Day Six: Dinner

$2 Sushi day!

Day Seven: Button

the button on my prac shirt, which is my life atm

Day Eight: Sun

The sun setting through the trees

Day Nine: Front Door

Day Ten: Self Portrait

ready for another day at prac

Day Eleven: makes you happy

My Tim.

Day Twelve: inside your closet

A strange mess of pretty dresses, festival clothes and gumboots, and 3 shelves of beauty products!

Day Thirteen: blue

Tin's el cheapo blue sunnies we bought at Byron - please take me back to my holiday. Instead, I am back at prac. Sad Panda.

Day Fourteen: heart

My valentines day card from Timmy

Day Fifteen: Phone

Stupid HTC which doesn't have instagram!!

The Tegania's Thoughts Valentines Day Round Up

2012-02-15T05:00:00.000+10:00

I love Valentines Day. I don't care how commercial and over used, over promoted and cash cow like it is, I think it is cute. My valentines day was also an anniversary weekend, where T and I headed down to gorgeous Byron Bay for the weekend for some beach fun and epic food.

I also got spoilt a crazy amount, from Tim as well as my twitter friends. Darling She's Sonic (hugs and kisses to you) sent myself and some of my other friends a card via twitter, which has now been imortalised in my Valentines Day collage as well. It was lovely!

<3 to all my friends and lovely readers, I hope you had a good Valentines Day! What did you get up to? If you dislike Valentines Day, sorry, but you get love sent your way from me anyways.

Left to Right, Top to Bottom: My V Day night lippie of choice, FOA Lip Quench in Pink Champagne. My Cyanide and Happiness Plushie Valentines plushie, courtesy of Tim. Byron Beach. Mojitos and Long Island Ice Tea with an anniversary dinner. My gorgeous ecard from She's Sonic. A Year of Awesome - the photo book Tim made and got printed for me. The Cyanide and Happiness card Tim got for me for V Day, to go with my plushie. Lovely V Day roses. Byron beach.

What did you get up to for Valentines Day? I would love to know, spread the stories! xx

Review: Invisible Zinc ESP Moisturizer

2012-02-14T05:00:00.000+10:00

After yesterdays debacle where Invisible Zinc Face + Body Sunscreen have our differences, I am pleased to relay that Invisible Zinc ESP moisturizer and I are the best of friends. I also know that this product is many other bloggers friend, ie. a very good friend indeed. Plus, ...Hi asked me for a review of ESP yesterday, so this is for her as well :)

So, without further ado, why I love this product. I believe I will stick to the pros and cons format that I used for the Invisible Zinc Face + Body Sunscreen. I liked it.

Pros:

A wonderful moisturizer combination SPF 30+ which dries to a very matte finish very quickly on my skin.
This baby is a physical sunscreen, so it reflects the UV rays back off your skin, where they can do no harm. Weee, no extra free radicals!
I haven't noticed a white cast with this sunscreen, however I am a super white, so others might due to the high concentration of zinc oxide.
I like the pump bottle, which dispenses enough product for face and decolletage with one pump.
I like the smell. The zinc smell has been covered up with something quite light and non-obtrusive, compared to Invisible Zinc Face and Body Sunscreen.
The high concentration of Zinc in the formula can actually be anti-inflammatory and healing for those of us with problem skin. I have not had a breakout attributed to this product, probably because it is so gentle. Success!

Cons:

This product is not very moisturizing on those with quite dry skin. I use a rosehip oil underneath mine, those with dry skin like myself might have to use another form of moisturizer underneath the product, or else you will turn into an oil slick by the end of the day.
It is very difficult to remove. Which could be a pro as well, really. You need a heavy duty makeup remover or a good wack with the Clarisonic to remove all of this baby.

So my love affair with Invisible Zinc continues. I adore this sunscreen, to me it is an absolute winner. Even though it is $35 a bottle.

Review: Invisible Zinc Face and Body Sunscreen

2012-02-13T05:00:00.000+10:00

Oh Invisible Zinc. I adore your ESP moisturizer (although I have no idea why I have not yet reviewed it), my love of the Silk shield foundation is well documented, but your face and body sunscreen is not for me. Just to show I have weighed my decision carefully, I have written a pros and con's list about it.

Pros:

It is a physical based sunscreen. Which means that it contains zinc oxide to reflect light away from the skin, instead of using chemical absorbers which absorb the light, possibly causing free radical generation. Free radicals are molecules which float around and cause damage to the skin, which can result in premature aging.
You are reasonably water resistant. Actually, almost anything resistant. The Face and Body Sunscreen will not come off unless there is vigorous towelling or soap used. This is actually a positive because you don't want it coming off the second that you hit the water.
I very much like the tube, it is hygenic and very easy to squeeze product out of.

Cons:

You leave a bit of a white cast after sweating or swimming. This is not a great worry for me, because I am as white as white can be, but for some others it may pose a problem.
You smell like zinc. I understand that you contain a lot of zinc, but I would prefer something to mask the smell (like how ESP has). The smell gets up my nose and drives me nuts. My boyfriend coats his face in zinc before he goes surfing and even he can't stand the smell (on our third attempt of wearing this sunscreen we both had to go and shower it off half way through the day to get rid of the smell).
You are very thick and quite greasy, which means that as soon as it is applied I need to either jump straight into the water or I turn into a greaseball. Not exactly ideal for any day which doesn't require swimming.
You only last two hours. I got burnt at Big Day Out on my shoulders, after two applications of this sunscreen. To be fair, I am so white that I, quite literally, burn in 5 mins with no sunscreen on. I am do believe I am going to try the 4 hour water resistant sunscreen next, and I hope I like it.
I do not like the price. $19.95 for a 75g tube is a little steep for me at the moment.

The other Invisible Zinc products I have tried are so great, so I am sad that Face and Body and I cannot be friends.

Let me know in the comments your favourite Physical based sunscreen, I am on the hunt!

Packing for a Mystery Weekend Away...

2012-02-10T05:00:00.001+10:00

Oh the weekend is calling, and I have no idea where I am going. Dearest Tim has organised a surprise for me for the weekend, and I have basically packed for all eventualities. Beach dress - tick. Favourite everything dress - tick. Pretty going out dress - tick. Shorts, shirts, swimmers. Now, to the fun stuff.

There are never too many lipsticks for one weekend.

My favourite dress. Adore.

Yes, the red robe features again. It is an anniversary present, after all... (Dear Dad, please don't read this)

I shall let you all know where I end up... exciting!

Review: Be in Awe Kaanti Lightening Serum

2012-02-09T05:00:00.000+10:00

Oh acne, you evil son of a b****. It is not enough for you to simply come along and ruin my complexion with your painful, red bumps. You leave a legacy, purplish red scars which take an extremely long time to go away. I very much hate you, and I do all that I can to combat you. Your little legacies however are even harder to be rid of than yourself. Let me reiterate that I hate you.

Moving on to something positive, I do very much like this serum from Be in Awe. It is designed to clear up hyperpigmentation (acne's little legacy), and in the two and a bit weeks that I have trialled this serum it has exceeded expectations. There is only so much you can do in 2 and a bit weeks, but I have been quite pleased with the results.

Be in Awe is an Australian company which uses Ayurveda holistic medicine principles in their skin care products. What Be in Awe says:

"kaanti Lightening Serum is formulated with encapsulation technology of β white in a liposome vehicle for excellent stability and delivery, Niacinamide at 5% and Liquorice extract; with the added benefits of Indian gooseberry, Gotu kola and Sage extract."

Be in Awe Kaanti Lightening Serum soaks in quite easily, although it does take a minute or so to dry down. During that minute your skin will feel a little tacky, but once it soaks in it dries to a matte finish, something that I find very important (having pores the size of America). The serum is very light, so I do believe that it would suit most skin types, including the poor dears with very oily skin. I have been using this morning and night, before a sunscreen or before my night cream.

Now, to the results. After two and a bit weeks (as long as the sample has lasted me) I have noticed a reasonable lightening in newer acne scars on my cheek, and a very slight lightening on the acne scars on my chin (which get no relief because I keep getting acne). Considering that it normally takes 12 weeks to see a result using a hyperpigmentation serum, to see results after two and a bit weeks is amazing. Be in Awe promises visible results in 28 days, but I am pleased that I got results earlier (my sample is almost out)!

I am not the only one who loves the Be In Awe serums, check out these posts from Me, My Best and I, and Blushfully.

This product was provided for review according to the disclosure policy. My review is 100% honest, as always.

What is your favourite make up look?

2012-02-08T05:00:00.000+10:00

Or maybe: what makes you feel a million bucks, as soon as you put it on?

Myself, I feel wonderful with some lipstick on. Transport me back to the 1920's to 1950's and I would be right at home. Red lips, white skin, a little blush and bronzer, winged eyeliner. Basically a retro look. The piece de resitance however - the red lips.

As soon as I put red lips on, out the door I strut.

On a slightly different note, but somewhat related: I adore people who have a signature makeup look, something that they are remembered for, like Dita Von Teese. I believe it would be so fun to have someone say "oh that is the girl with the red lips". That is because, for me, red lips is the one thing that I want more than anything to be my signature makeup look. I would love to be able to wear this makeup look everyday, but sadly, I am not brave enough in some circumstances. I would not be able to wear this to prac, for example. Sad. As it stands therefore, this is what I wear whenever it is feasible.

The only think I believe that I would really miss with a signiture makeup look? The experimentation with makeup. I do very much adore changing things up all the time as well. A girl is entitled to be fickle, it is in our nature. Without a doubt however, my love for other looks are never as long lasting as red lips have been. I do believe red lips will continue to be my favourite as well, for a very long time!

I would love to know, what is/do you want to be your favourite makeup look? The one that makes you feel utterly fabulous? If you had a look that people remembered you by, what would it be?

PS. Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

I painted my toe nails dove grey - and I liked it

2012-02-07T05:00:00.000+10:00

Always one for bright "pop" colours on my toe nails, this came as a shock to me. Generally grey and boring are synonymous in my head.

Essence Colour and Go Quick Drying Nail Polish in Got A Secret was my weapon of choice in my foray into grey nails, and I liked it. A lot.

A soft blue grey, which looks almost lilac on the nails, Got A Secret is a lovely colour, which I think suits even toes (something which greys tend to have trouble with, being so pale). It is opaque in two coats, shiny and a dream to apply. It also comes in a weeny little bottle which I like - I find that I can never use all my nail polish before I change colour preference so I prefer smaller bottles. Another giant positive; although the bottle is small the brush is large, making application super easy.

I have a lot of love for Essence as a brand as well, an overseas brand which keeps their prices extremely low while maintaining fantastic quality. This polish retails for $2.55. Dear Essence, I love you.

Yes there is another picture of my feet, thong tan and all. Ooooops!

PS. Don't forget to check out my current blog giveaway!!

Makeup for the Races

2012-02-06T05:00:00.000+10:00

Saturday saw me don a fascinator and a long white maxi dress, and head down to Doomben for the first Fantasy League of Extraordinary Gentleman Football Draft. Yes, my boyfriend and my friends have a football draft. The idea was that one of the races would become the draft pick, and where ever your horse came in the race was where you got to be when picking players. The girls and I simply went for a day at the races, to dress up and look pretty. This is what I decided would "dress me up and look pretty":

Don't you love top down shots? I only included this one because you can see the full glory of the eyelashes. Oh Napoleon Perdis, you are a wizard with mascara!

On to the makeup break down:

Foundation: Clinique Superbalanced in Alabaster
Concealer: Face of Australia Concealer, Essence Stay Natural Concealer (for under eyes)
Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder
Blush: Nars the Multiple in Orgasm
Bronzer: MAC Bronzer in Golden
Eyeshadow: Rimmel Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe
Eyeliner: Essence Gel Eyeliner in Midnight in Paris
Mascara: Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash
Eyebrows: Models Prefer Eyebrow Pencil
Lipstick: Revlon Matte Lipstick in Pink About It (Sadly discontinued. Sad, so very, very sad).

I love Tim getting ready in the back of the first photo. Amusing. I am so unprofessional with my photo taking!

I hope you all had a fabulous weekend, I would love to hear all about it in the comments! xx

Review: The Harbour Day Spa Experience

2012-02-03T05:00:00.000+10:00

The Harbour Day spa at Raby Bay oozes luxury the minute that you walk in. Situated on a harbour, even walking towards the place screams luxury. It is absolutely gorgeous. I was a guest of the day spa on Monday, and four days later I am still dreamily thinking about it.

So, I decided to walk you through it, so I can enjoy the memories.

The reception area

A facial at the Harbour Day spa is certainly a relaxing experience. The first thing you are asked to do before receiving your elected treatment is sit in the "Tranquil Room" for 15 minutes, where you can relax and unwind from the rest of the day. Being the jumped up Gen Y that I am, I took photos. Cant. waste. time. I also asked questions the entire treatment. Oooooops. relaxation, what's that? *nervous tic*.

The tranquil room

From the tranquild room the therapist will come and collect you, to take you into the skin analysis room, which was my absolute favourite part. You are led into a room to have your face analysed via a Visia machine - a wonderful machine which assesses your skin based on other people your age. The machine allows the therapist to gain in depth knowledge about your skin, and be able to very specifically tailor your facial. The cool thing is that you can rebook for just the skin analysis, say if you try a new product and want to see how it effects your skin. What an excellent way to quantify what you are using, and see if it is working!

You stick your chin on the bottom piece, and look towards the left. My chin missed the base the first time round - fool!

When reading your results, the average of your age group is 50%, anything higher than that number is above average, anything lower and you have work to do! Here is how I scored:

Pigmentation - 64%
Wrinkles - 99% (WOOOOOOOOOO)
Texture - 75%
Pores - 73%

It also shows you how many Porphyrins (bacteria) that your skin had on it, which is something that all people will have in differing amounts. I thankfully had very little.

Interesting to note, when the Visia machine assesses your skin pigmentation it assesses the damage done when you were younger, say around the age of 8, as well as assessing the "brown spots" which are the areas just under the skin which will come to the surface as you age. Which brings me to my next point. This machine can sort of look into the future in the fact that it can assess to a degree what your skin will look like in 5 years time. Myself, the fine lines under my eyes were more pronounced, but more worrying was that my freckles were darker. Sad. It is definitely scary looking into the future like that!

Me right now, at 21

Me in 5 years time - so many more freckles!!

You are then led into a magical room for your treatment. Everything is so detailed and lovely, to the point of having rose petals in a bowl of water so you could soak your feet! My facial consisted of a double cleanse, exfoliation, peel (light to medium, apparently my skin can't handle anything heavier), mask, foot and back massage, serum and moisturise, all tailored to pump as much moisture as possible into my skin because it was crazy dry. I was so impressed with the treatment, as well as the products used. I came out feeling so relaxed, even though the day was reaching the tail end of a very stressful uni day (although I didn't stop talking the entire time, poor therapist!).

As I mentioned, I must have asked about a hundred questions, but my therapist knew the answer to almost every one. She was also fantastic at being able to recommend changes to my routine, without pushing a certain product. I love it when people are really knowledgable, therefore another big plus to the Harbour Day Spa.

All in all I was extremely pleased with my treatment at the Harbour Day Spa. Following a facial treatment the client is given a wash and blow dry and a mineral makeup application (Issada makeup). As I was the last blogger to go through I didn't get these treatments, but in a way I was really glad as I was just going to have to go home and wash it all off anyway! I spoke to Dana after her treatment and her hair looked amazing, so I can vouch that they do a good job!

The hair salon

The Issada makeup range - like me in my robe???

This experience was provided for review purposes from Harbour Day Spa. My opinion is 100% honest and in no way influenced, as per the disclosure policy.

Harbour Day Spa:

http://www.harbourdayspa.com.au/

Raby Bay - Cleveland

Corner of Shore Street and Masthead Drive
Raby Bay Cleveland
Queensland 4163 Australia
T 07 3821 2955
relax@harbourdayspa.com.au

Broadbeach - Gold Coast

24-26 Queensland Avenue
Broadbeach
Queensland 4218 Australia
T 07 5531 5121
relaxgc@harbourdayspa.com.au

238th Post: my FIRST GIVEAWAY!!

2012-02-02T19:06:00.000+10:00

238th is a weird number right? In truth, I have had this giveaway waiting in the wings since my 200th post, waiting for a milestone. Followers, posts, something. I am not a very patient person however, so waiting til my 250th post (which I decided my aim was going to be) is just too far away.

I love writing this blog every day for you, it is something which keeps me sane and happy, and I love the thought that I have people who like to read my writing. As a thank you to all of my followers, old and new, I have been picking up items when out shopping for the last few months, all of which I have tried and loved.

So, what have I been shopping and purchased for you?

I like to think of this as a Summer pack, but hey, a tan always looks good going into Autumn too right?

1. MOR Neroli Clementine Body Butter
2 Lanolips Lip Ointment in Sunshine
3. Australis Make-Up Finishing Spritz
4. Le Tan Flawless Legs in Deep Bronze
5. Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Peach Sorbet (actually I lied, I haven't tried this colour, but I want to. I almost kept it!)
6. Le Tan Fast Tan Mousse in Deep Bronze
7. Le Tan Fast Tan Instant Spray in Bronze (baby size)
8. Model's Prefer Multi Purpose Sponge (the best sponge EVAH)
9. Manicare Automatic Tweezers.

9 is a weird number too right. I must have a thing for strange numbers this giveaway.

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:

Sorry, this giveaway is available to Australian Residents Only.

1. You MUST be a follower of Tegania's Thoughts via either Bloglovin OR Google Friend Connect (using the widgets in the sidebar)

2. Like Tegania's Thoughts on Facebook

3. Please leave a comment below telling me which platform you follow me on (either GFC or Bloglovin'), your facebook name and your email address so I can email you if you win. In this comment please also answer the following question:

What would you like to see more of on Tegania's Thoughts in the future (for example, product reviews, face of the days, etc).

For good karma:

Please follow me on twitter (@TeganMcIntosh) and tweet about this giveaway "Tegania's Thoughts is having a giveaway! Pop on over and enter in:http://teganiasthoughts.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/238th-post-my-first-giveaway.html http://bit.ly/zrY2Ds"

I will check all criteria and will pick the winner using Random.org (and will print screen the outcome so you know it is all legit).

This giveaway is open to Australian Residents until midnight Australian Eastern Standard Time, 29th of February, 2012.

January Empties

2012-02-02T05:00:00.000+10:00

Oh, the magical time that is empties time. Sorry that this post is a couple of days overdue, I haven't really been thinking straight, and to be honest I forgot that it was the end of the month! I can't believe that January is over, Christmas is well and truly gone but I am hanging on to that holiday feeling for dear life, I am a little scared of what my final prac year at university will bring!

This month I didn't think I would finish that many products, however I got a nice surprise when a lot of things all finished at once. Success! I love the feeling of throwing away a well used bottle!

1. Clinique Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector - I love this and have gone through three bottles of the stuff, I use it on my acne pigmentation. It works! I am currently trying a new product, however I do believe I will repurchase this, it has been a staple for a little while.

2. Clinique City Block Sheer SPF 25+ - This is a fantastic sunscreen, which is tinted to give a very sheer coverage. It is not enough coverage for acne challenged skin like mine, so I was using it over my rosehip oil and under my foundation. Being Clinique and very sheer it doesn't clog pores. I have gone through a few tubes of this, and I am sure I will repurchase.

3. Akin Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil - another staple. I already have another bottle open in my cupboard. This is a fantastic rosehip oil which I find soaks into my skin really quickly, plus it is a bright orange colour - meaning it is still full of vitamin A, an important ingredient for anti-aging and hydration. I have been using this for about two to three years, and I feel I will probably continue to use it. It's great.

4. Sukin Botanical Hydration Serum* - this serum was incredibly hydrating, however I found that it was a little thick for my face over summer when it was humid; it was much better during the cooler weather. I may repurchase during winter, depending how cold it gets in Brisbane (which in general, is not very cold)

5. Akin Pure Emergency Gel - remember when I got sun burnt to lobster proportions? This baby nursed my back to health, and I used it all up in the process. Winning. I may repurchase, although the boyfriend is currently growing Aloe Vera at our house, so I shall see how that goes first. There is nothing better than the real thing!

6. Mario Badescu Drying Lotion - this is one well loved bottle of pimple cream, because of all the zillions that I have tried, this is the only one that has worked. Overnight. I already have another opened bottle, and I will probably continue to use it for a long time (although I do challenge everyone to show me something better...)

7. Dove Foaming Make Up Remover - I love this because it works. Use a Clarisonic after using this and there will be no residue left on your brush. However, it is really drying. It didn't affect me at first (although Dee mentioned it was super drying on her) but sjanuaomething has changed and now it dries out my skin A LOT. I have a different makeup remover in mind, so once I have given that a go I will see if this one gets repurchased.

8. Aveda Hand Relief - love love love love this hand cream. Wish I had a real job and a real life so that I could afford this hand cream. I do plan to repurchase as a special birthday or Christmas treat (along with my current beloved Clarins hand cream). This hand cream will repair hands with dry flaky patches and ripped cuticles over night. I am always amazed by it, and I love it.

9. Skin Juice Micro Citrus Cream* - I loved the original formula of this, and I liked the new formula, while disliking the new smell. Even so, this moisturizer is so perfect I used it all, and am considering purchasing some more when I use up my next batch of rose hip oil. It is perfect for those which need some serious hydration but hate the feeling of oily and greasy products.

10. Rexona Aerosol Deoderant in "Confidence" - my go to deodorant for YEARS. Not much else to say about it, other than it is a deodorant which works. And smells like powder (which I like). Have repurchased.

11. Pearl Drops Extra Strength Whitening Tooth Paste - I think that there has been one of these in almost every empties post. It is the best whitening tooth paste that I have tried.

12. Clarisonic Cleansers in "Refreshing Gel Cleanser" and "Gentle Hydro Cleanser" - both of these were far too stripping for my skin, I ended up having to use them as a body wash just to get rid of them. I had noticed (but not really paid attention) to how stripping they were, but woke up when talking to Sabine from EchoLife about my skin care regime. I had put out an SOS because my dry skin was basically the Sahara desert and my purging pimples from a new Clarisonic were refusing to heal. i can't believe I didn't notice until Sabine pointed it out, however I am eternally grateful.

*These products were provided for consideration in accordance with the disclosure policy. My opinions are 100% honest, as always.

Do you like the mood lighting in the background?

It is so hard to photograph a giant pile of empties, one day I will make them look slightly more interesting. This attempt - lining them up like there are in a school photo - shortest to tallest.

What makes you feel beautiful?

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000+10:00

This is something reasonably new for my blog - an open discussion topic. I welcome all comments, I would also love this to be shared with as many people as possible. As it's wednesday hump day - we all need something different!

The question that I am asking you all today is this: what makes you feel beautiful?

For me, that is a tough question. I feel most beautiful when I have a little makeup on, but also when I am at the beach with wet hair and without a sceric of makeup on. I feel most beautiful when I am catching up with friends, and when I am spending time with my best friend - my boyfriend.

I feel most beautiful when I am exploring a new place, jumping around, taking photos, and acting like a fool. I feel most beautiful when I am drinking coffees and eating out, having fun and smiling at the world.

Now, contrary to what I might have believed between the ages of 3 til 16, it is NOT all about me. You now know a little bit of what makes me feel beautiful, I would love to know what makes you feel beautiful. Beautiful could mean superficial (ie. your looks) OR a more deep seated, emotional feeling (ie. what makes you feel like a lovely, beautiful person).

Please comment, and let me know what makes you feel most beautiful. I would love to know.

Review: Jurlique Purely Age Defying Eye Cream

2012-01-31T05:00:00.000+10:00

You might be wondering what I am doing wearing an "age defying" eye cream, being a little 20 something (who scored 99% on wrinkles, more on that later...). It is because I have fine lines, and skin that needs a little love and care, with some serious antioxidants.

The Jurlique Age Defying Range is an absolutely gorgeous set of products. The range is designed to diminish fine lines and wrinkles, as well as brighten the skin and hydrate. All things that my skin is needing (particularly after consultation with a beauty therapist, but again, more on that later...), plus a lot of the general population, if I believe what I have heard from said very experienced beauty therapist.

The Jurlique Purely Age Defying Eye Cream is a triple threat to the eye area, because as well as promising to help diminish fine lines and wrinkles, it also helps to diminish under eye circles and puffiness, AND support collagen production. In my experience using the cream, it does do all of these things. I find this cream to be luxurious without sitting on the skin and creating a barrier. I have also found that my fine line development has been maintained ie. they are not getting worse, even though it has been a summer of sun damage, I think they might even look marginally better.

The wonder ingredients that make this cream the winner that it is? According to Jurlique:

"Blue Algae increases skin firmness, reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Arnica and Eyebright works together to re-energise the undereye, reducing puffiness and dark circles.
Vitamin C helps protect and support firmness under the eye, while improving skin clarity."
This eye cream is an absolute stellar eye cream. The only problem I have with it is the price - sadly a uni student cannot afford a $58.00 AUD price tag. I will however have to stretch this eye cream to the absolute limits and keep it as long as possible, failing that, it is being added to the birthday list. I am in love.

This product was provided for consideration from Jurlique, in accordance with the Disclosure Policy. I was not obligated to write about this product, and all opinion is 100% honest, even though it does sound a little like an infomercial. I genuinely love this product, I swear.

Australia Day Face of the Day

2012-01-30T05:00:00.000+10:00

Or, "How your eyes can get lost with no makeup on". Basically, my Australia Day makeup was super simple, as I planned to be in the pool all day. Therefore, eye makeup was contraindicated, because I am yet to find a "waterproof" mascara which can last through more than a little rain. My makeup also consisted of a lot of Australian brands (which I didn't notice, @Haute_Style did). A very happy accident!

FOTD consisted of:

Foundation: Invisible Zinc Silk Shield SPF 30+ - for the coverage, SPF, and the waterproof abilities.

Concealer: Face of Australia concealer in Neutral (surprisingly lasted all day. Even after being dunked in the pool, pimples were still cleverly hidden. Success).

Under eye concealer: Essence Stay Natural concealer

Translucent Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder

Bronzer/Blush: Napoleon Perdis Contour Palette

Highlight: Benefit Girl Meets Pearl.

During the day I also wore my Face of Australia Lip Quench in Pink Champagne, but it is not pictured, because at the time of photographing I was wearing Chanel Chintz.

Isn't it odd looking at your eyes when you are used to at least wearing mascara? It almost feels like I have no eyelashes!

Finally, an outfit photo. My outfit was a little obsolete, because as soon as getting to my friends BBQ it was togs on and in the pool, but this is what I wore anyway:

Dress from Dissh, Belt from Forever New.

I hope you all had a fantastic Australia Day, what did you all get up to? Did you make it a long weekend? I didn't, it was straight back to prac!

Review: Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash Mascara

2012-01-26T10:14:00.000+10:00

I am a bit of a mascara whore. I like to try as many as possible and I am rarely loyal to one type. The one that is currently rocking my world: Napoleon Perdis Whole Lotta Lash. I have tried Napoleon mascara's before and loved them, this one is no exception.

This mascara gives you lovely long, volumised lashes. They are absolutely gorgeous. Plus, the rubber brush helps to define and seperate those babies, for a very lovely affect with no clumps. Whole Lotta Lash however will not last through crying, and if you get caught in the rain at Big Day Out it will smudge a little bit. Similar to most non-waterproof mascara's really.

Gorgeous right? Love!

Review: Essence Gel Eyeliner in Midnight in Paris

2012-01-25T11:50:00.003+10:00

Essence - an amazing European brand which manages to churn out high quality products at a cheap (very cheap, oh so cheap) price. I am a little bit in love, currently owning 2 lipsticks, a concealer and this lovely gel eyeliner.

Oh this magical eyeliner. I am so impressed, I may have to renounce my love for Rimmel Professional liquid eyeliner (well, almost). It is soft, it has an amazing consistency which is definitely a gel, not a hard waxy problem like some I have tried, and it is waterproof. I don't think it is that waterproof, as it started to smudge in the rain at Big Day Out, but it managed to last through a 12 hour day, only smudging towards the end.

Also, it is SO BLACK. So insanely black. So AMAZINGLY black.

Plus, it cost me $5.95 full price. Essence is constantly on sale at Target (Australian Stockist) as well, so you can get it for even cheaper. Which just blows my mind, considering the Australian prices of most products generally!

I couldn't resist giving it a go before taking photos, so sorry for the brush marks in the pot! I did try to take photos before I messed it up too much though, I wouldn't want you all thinking I was unprofessional!

Big Day Out FOTD and OOTD

2012-01-24T05:00:00.000+10:00

Ahhhh Big Day Out Gold Coast - you were amazing. Great bands, great atmosphere, it rained so it wasn't too hot. I have lots of love for you! My favourite act was definitely Foster the People, followed by Calling all Cars, Faker, Stonefields, the Amity Affliction - the list goes on.

Foundation: MAC Pro longwear in NC15
Under eye concealer: Essence Stay Natural Concealer
Transulcent Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Powder
MAC Bronzer in Golden
MAC Blush in Pinch o' Peach
Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe (as a wash of colour all over the eyelid)
Napoleon Perdis Loose Dust #37 (Old packaging - its a goldy colour) - used as a hit of sparkle on the outer V of the eye
Essence waterproof gel eyeliner - black
Napoleon Perdis "Whole Lotta Lash" Mascara
Benefit Brow's A Go-Go
and finally...
Face of Australia Lip Quench in Pink Champagne.

My makeup put up a supermely good fight through an incredibly hot day followed by rain, I was hugely impressed. My mascara started to leave black smudges under my eyes, but I don't blame it, really.

Finally, a pic of what I was wearing at Big Day Out:

Happy Tuesday Everyone!! xxxx

First Impressions: Taut Gold Standard Collagen Infusion Mask

2012-01-23T16:19:00.001+10:00

As I write this, I have a cloth "Jason" mask on, soaked in product. Why? Basically, I went on the hunt for a hydration mask, and I had none (all my lovely masks are aimed at drawing out impurities! Oil relieving! Pimple murdering!) Well, none, except this sample of Taut Gold Standard Collagen Infusion Mask, which promises to hydrate, firm, and brighten. It better, because my skin is one pile of disgusting right now.

I have been using my Clarisonic religiously since after my Christmas Camping holiday, and there is an awful lot of impurties to pull out it seems. I cannot wait for the purging period to be over! Anyway, in an attempt to calm my skin - please calm down, my pretty - I plan to hydrate the heck out of it while the purging happens, as my skin is chronically dry and I need it to heal faster. Hence, the scrabbling around my beauty cabinet, hunting for a hydration mask. I really need to get some more hydration me thinks.

Sorry about the photos with lots of flash - they are still reasonably readable.

After taking the mask off (10 minutes later) you are supposed to rub any left over liquid into your skin, and moisturize as normal. I didn't have much liquid left to rub in, but I did as I was told.

My first impressions? This feels nice, its really cooling - helpful in Brisbane on these crazy hot nights. I didn't notice instant amazing skin, but my skin was slightly more plumped, which is always something. In the morning my skin felt soft and smooth. All in all I was pretty happy, I will know in a day or two if this helps to heal blemishes faster, through a supercharged moisture injection!

In a day or two:

My skin felt more hydrated the next morning, however two days later and my skin is dry and flakie once again. After a discussion with a twitter friend (Sabine from Echolife) I think I may have pinpointed the dryness to the cleanser which came with my Clarisonic. Back to the mask though - I liked it, it made my skin feel lovely for a day, but when you are harshly stripping your skin without your knowledge it doesn't last long!

This was provided in my ABBW Goody Bag. I am not obligated to write about it, I did because I wanted to, and all opinions are 100% my own. RRP currently $26.97 (was $44.95) for 5 sachets.
Available from http://www.taut.com.au/

Review and Swatches: Face of Australia Lipstick in Pink Champagne

2012-01-20T05:00:00.000+10:00

Remember yesterday how I said that I had picked my Big Day Out pedicure? The most important part of my outfit is going to be my makeup. Now, in a thousand degrees (like the last one I attended) or rain (like predicted) there is no point trying hard to get piercing intricate eyes, as lovely as they might look in photos. Basically, powder will be your new best friend, and lipstick will add some party to your face.

My lipstick of choice? Face of Australia Pink Champagne. Mostly, because it is SPF 30+. Lychee Crush and Silver Rose are a little too plain for what I want at BDO, and Forbidden Fruit (which I desperately wanted to wear) I think might be a little annoying with touch ups. Forbidden Fruit is more of a Laneway Festival lipstick. Plus, barbie pink and bronzer is pretty much the order of the day at BDO.

Who knew I had gathered such a collection of Face of Australia Lip Quench lipsticks?

Like all of the other Lip Quench Lipsticks, Pink Champagne is incredibly moisturizing and creamy on your lips. It will not last through eating, but will generally last about 2 hours without fading. I find Forbidden Fruit lasts the longest, probably up to 3 hours, however the lighter colours seem to disappear a little quicker on me, not sure why.

There is a little story attached to this lippie that I also feel that I better share, just to show how popular these lippies are, plus how awesome friends are. Over the last few weeks, I have been looking everywhere for Pink Champagne, and it has been SOLD OUT. So has Lychee Crush (there is a bit of a blogger buzz about this one at the moment) and Malibu Barbie (a gorgeous blue based pink, also on my wishlist). One of my beautiful twitter friends (@rosemaryslade - go follow her) found 3, one for herself, me and another twitter friend @emmabovaryblog (also go follow her) and promptly mailed one to me all the way from Sydney. I love my friends!

Is it not gorgeous? When I was swatching it I thought it looked a little like Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush. When compared, the colour is quite similar (a blue based pink) however Rimmel is more opaque and the formula is a little more waxy, whereas FOA Pink Champagne is more creamier and a little sheerer (is that a word? A little more sheer is probably better haha).

I would love to know in the comments if you have any of these lipsticks, Lychee Crush has been causing a huge buzz!

xxx

Review and Swatches: Australis Nail Polish in Sweetpea

2012-01-19T05:00:00.000+10:00

I have decided what my Big Day Out pedicure is going to be. I understand that this is probably not going to be a big deal, because honestly who is really going to look at my feet, but still. It makes me happy. I think I have also worked out what lipstick I am going to wear, but that is another post, another swatch. I have no idea what I am going to WEAR, but clothes are not what is important here, right?

Australis Sweetpea is a gorgeous minty green, a little paler than a coveted Tiffany's box. It is gorgeous. The laquer required two thicker coats (or three thinner coats) to become opaque, but once there, this baby is gorgeous. It makes me smile to see it on my toes. It was also a relatively easy laquer to work with, no mess, no fuss. I only wish it was big three free.

Now, I understand some of you hate feet, but I have a pic of my feet - it is a pedicure after all. Enjoy!

The $100 FOTD Challenge

2012-01-18T05:00:00.000+10:00

Lilit first posted this on her amazing blog Makeup and Macaroons, and I thought I would give it a go using makeup already in my collection. It was pretty difficult, and as I write this I think I actually may have gone over my $100 - although I usually buy everything in Priceline sales... Let's see how it all tallies up, shall we?

In the end, my look was a very soft, nude, glowy look. I have not included my moisturizer or sunscreen, because that would have just blown the price right out. I also ended up using the Australis Cheek Creme on my lips as well, as I didn't think I had enough 'money' left for one of my normal bright lipsticks.

Tallying up the cost of my FOTD (at RRP AUD value):

Invisible Zinc Silk Shield Foundation in Light: $42.0

Face of Australia Concealer in Neutral: $9.45

Essence Stay Natural Concealer: $3.95 (a word about Essence: one of the only overseas brands who do not hike their prices up when their products land in Australia. Plus, there stuff is really good for being so cheap!! I have a couple of their lipsticks as well, and they are amazing!)

Australis Creme Colour Blush in Flirtatious Pink: $9.45 (also patted onto my lips) I love how soft this is, look how subtle the colour is.

Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder: $12.95

Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe: $10.50

Maybelline New York Colossal Mascara: $19.25

Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil: $13.95 (BD didn't have the price of this, but I am sure that was the price when I purchased it at priceline)

Grand Total: $121.50

I failed! Oooooops! I thought I had when I was doing a mental tally, but my eyebrows needed to be drawn back in, and that was my cheapest foundation. Plus, I usually buy things in sales (that mascara did only cost me $10...) still I failed. That shows you how hard it is to create a cheap face. Imagine something intricate, with lots of eyeshadows! Budget blown right out.

In comparison, this is what I usually put on my face, makeup wise:

Foundation:
Invisible Zinc Silk Shield ($42)
or MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC15 ($54)
or Clinique SuperBalanced in Alabaster ($50)

Concealer:
Face of Australia Concealer in Neutral: $9.45 (to cover pimples)
Essence Stay Natural Concealer: $3.95 (under eyes)

Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder: $12.95

Blush: MAC Pinch o' Peach Powder Blush $40

Bronzer: MAC Bronzing Powder in Golden $39

Highlighter: Benefit Girl Meets Pearl: $53

Eyebrows:
Benefit Brows a Go Go $68
or Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil: $13.95

Eyeshadow: Rimmel Glam Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe: $10.50

Liquid Eyeliner: Rimmel Professional Liquid Eyeliner $13.95

Mascara: Maybelline New York Colossal Mascara: $19.25

The day is not complete without lipstick, but this differs every day from my MAC or Chanel Lippies (MAC lipstick is $36 in Australia, I purchase my Chanel off Strawberry net for about the same price) to my beloved Face of Australia Lychee Crush, all the way down to my Essence lipsticks (3.95). For the purpose of this tally I have left off a lipstick price, because it is so variable.

Grand Total: $324.05 without lipstick!

I wish Australian prices were cheaper!

DIY Lipstick Storage Box

2012-01-17T05:30:00.000+10:00

I have been on the hunt for some lipstick storage for awhile, however my problem with all of them is that they are too small for my stupidly large collection. Failing all internet searches I decided to get creative, and I found a pretty box and some cardboard, and made my own!

To make: I chose some coloured cardboard which complemented the colour of my box (kmart only had the primary colours, so red it was). Then, spend some time measuring your lipsticks, the box and the cardboard. I made each "lipstick holder" 3 x3 centimetres, therefore depending on the dimensions of the box you will need to sit down and work out how many pieces of cardboard that you need.

Cut all of your pieces so they fit in the box, then cut slits at each 3cm mark so that the cardboard will slot together neatly. Insert into the box and you are done. Be wary though, even though it may take 2 seconds to read through the instructions, this took me 2 hours. it is fiddly and sometimes annoying. Attempt on a lazy sunday with trash tv on.

Mine look a little messy and dodgy, but it does the job so I am not too worried!!

Ahhh, look how many spaces I have left to fill up... huzzah!!

Review: Lacura Renovage Intensive Serum

2012-01-16T05:00:00.000+10:00

A little while a go I was sent some products from Beauty Directory to try - the Lacura Range, which is available at Aldi. I have to admit that I liked the range as a moisturizing range (with good reason, the range has won a lot of awards and contains natural based ingredients), although nothing really jumped out at me as being amazing, until I tried the Lacura Renovage Intensive Serum. The serum is more of a light cream; most serums are oil based, however this one is a definite lotion. I ended up using this serum as my decolletage moisturizer, as it is light, soaks in easily and did a wonderful job of moisturizing my skin (waking up in the morning my decolletage would be so smooth). The only reason I wasn't using it on my face was the smell - it has a very strong soapy/shampoo scent, which takes a long time to dissipate.

For a supermarket brand these products are great, they are great moisturizers and get the job done. If you were going to try the brand and only wanted one product however, my money is on the serum.

The consistency of the serum - most definitely more a lotion me thinks!

Ciccone Voluptas and Oceanus Lipstick Reviews and Swatches

2012-01-13T05:30:00.000+10:00

Ciccone is an Australian brand who make amazing lipsticks. The two that I have tried have been extremely creamy, long lasting and INSANELY pigmented. In fact those were my first impressions. I applied these two lipsticks and all that ran through my mind was "wow, these feel amazing" followed by "wow, these are PIGMENTED!". One swipe of each and there is a happy colour party on your lips.

The lipsticks need reapplication after eating (but so do all lipsticks, pretty much), but other than that you can get about 3 to 4 hours of beautiful colour before fading.

Now for the swatches.

Oceanus

Voluptas

Oceanus - with flash

Oceanus - no flash, natural light

Voluptas - with flash

Voluptas - no flash, natural light

Review: Endota Spa Organic Lavender and Alpine Pepper Hand Cream

2012-01-12T11:08:00.001+10:00

I have already briefly mentioned this hand cream a little while ago, but my love affair with it continues. It smells absolutely divine, if you are ever floating around David Jone's go in and have a sniff, it will blow your socks off. Plus, this baby is incredibly moisturizing and soaks in extremely easily, which are my two main criteria for a fabulous hand cream.

Endota Says: "lush lavender is a natural skincare ingredient renowned for its healing and meditative powers. fragrant and absorbent, lavender helps to generate new skin, while healing and reducing the appearance of blemishes. organic australian alpine pepper improves circulation. licorice naturally helps to lighten, brighten and even skin tone.Hands love endota's heavenly, certified organic finger food. this deeply moisturising hand lotion nourishes cracked skin, and evens out skin tone for soft, younger-looking hands."

For stockists, pop onto the Endota Spa website, or pop into David Jones Beauty.

This product was sponsored in the PRIMPED.com.au lookbook gift bags, I am under no obligation to write about it, I am writing because I love it!

Review: Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil in Light

2012-01-11T05:30:00.000+10:00

Since the Eyebrow Disaster that was Friday, I have had to practise my eyebrow defining skills like there is no tomorrow. While wax pots and powders are fantastic, sometimes it takes just a little too long, and when you are on holidays "a little too long" is too long.

The Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil is so easy and quick to use, it has pretty much become my new best friend. Having such a wide yet angled tip to the crayon means that the body of your eyebrow can be filled in with a few soft strokes, and the angled tip can define the edges. Remember: light strokes with any eyebrow defining is necessary, you do not want your eyebrows to look drawn on (even though mine are physically drawn on at the moment).

To make this product even more of a one stop shop, it helpfully has a spoolie brush attached to the end. Spoolies are used once you have filled in your brows to distribute colour and soften any edges. The spoolie attached to the end of this crayon feels very sturdy as well; it feels like it will live out the product. The packaging itself (as well as being awesomely helpful in having a spoolie brush attached) also feels quite sturdy, which is great if you plan to take this baby travelling with you - there is nothing worse than broken makeup ruining your holidays!

Lastly, the formula of the Models Prefer Retractable Eyebrow Pencil is great as well. It is so soft, whilst still being waxy enough to cling to your eyebrows, and last all day. I dislike it when eyebrow crayons (and eyeliners, for that matter) are too waxy and stiff, and it hurts to use them. This eyebrow pencil being so soft, it has none of those problems.

Models Prefer is available at Priceline. I purchased this product with my own money, although the love fest written here does sound like it was PR provided!

How to store makeup and skincare to protect it from the heat

2012-01-10T09:35:00.000+10:00

It has been a scorching few days in Brisbane, and everyone has been melting into little puddles on the floor. Yesterday I visited Caloundra, with 3 lippies in my bag, and two of the melted, prompting the idea for this post. It was 38 degrees Celsius. It was disgusting.

Over Christmas, a similar thing happened to me when I went on a camping holiday with my boyfriend. I ended up having to keep my lippies in the esky (a cooler box) over the camping trip!

As a rule, skincare and cosmetics should be kept below 25 degrees Celsius. Any hotter and the waxes and oils may separate out, leaving you with an oily, runny mess!

Hide your skincare in a dark, cool cupboard, although it might be helpful on really hot days to stick things like face creams in the fridge, to help prevent separation of the oils and other ingredients. This cool dark cupboard SHOULD NOT be in the bathroom, the humidity in their can help break your cosmetics down faster than you can say "summer's here".

Fragrances left in the sun and heat can denature quite quickly and go off. The smell can be altered, and leave you wondering if it is Stella in your bottle or alien juice. Also hide these in a dark, cool cupboard, even though they might look prettier on your bench.

Sticking with the theme, hide all cosmetics in a dark cool cupboard as well. If left out in the sun and the heat, eyeshadows might lose their pigment, and the heat might cause powders and foundations to melt. That would be almost as sad as dropping your glass bottled foundation on the floor!

If the heat is getting to your lipsticks and lipbalms, pop them in the fridge. Lipsticks are mainly made of oils and waxes, which do not fare well in the heat!

Sunscreen (chemical and physical) also breaks down in high heat. High heat can alter and break down the SPF of the sunscreen, causing it to be almost useless. Unfortunate, as it will more often than not be sitting in your beach bag while you frolic on the beach. If you notice that your sunscreen has changed consistency or smells a bit odd toss it, it is not worth getting burnt.

If you have any other cosmetic or skin care recommendations please let me know, I would love to know!!

Now, I leave you for the day with a picture of Scott's Head Beach, where I was over Christmas (watching my lippies melt into oblivion)

Hello Lipstick Swatches!! {Red}

2012-01-09T05:00:00.000+10:00

It seems that I have come a long way since I last swatched my red lipsticks for you, I have gone from two to twelve! I decided to make good use of my unhealthy obsession with lipsticks, and start swatching them all so that you can see the comparisons. As the collection is so large however, this is going to take place over a few blog posts!!
Please click on the names of the lippies in the list, as I linked them to my reviews of said lippies.

First up are my lovely ladies in red. All swatches are one swipe of the lippie, just in case you were wondering.

In Order (according to the numbers on the swatches below)

Natural Light

Lime Crime Vegan Lipstick In Glamour 101
Face Of Australia Lip Quench SPF 30+ in Forbidden Fruit
Ciccone Lipstick in Voluptus
Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Alarm (170)
MAC Matte Lipstick in Russian Red
Sportsgirl Pout About Matte Lipstick Bombshell
Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Red Revival
NYX Lipstick in Fire
Australis Show Stopper Gloss Sticks in Hoola Hoop
Revlon ColorStay Overtime Lipcolor in On Going Flame
Poppy King Lipstick Queen in Moment
MAC Satin Lipstick in M.A.C Red

With Flash

As you can tell I am a bit of a blue based red fan!! I think I need to stop collecting... I also think I need to write reviews about the Revlon and Ciccone ones, the only two not yet reviewed!!

The Eyebrow Disaster

2012-01-06T15:10:00.002+10:00

I have had a bit of a battle with my eyebrows. Since last January I have been growing them out, because for some stupid reason every single beautician thinks that I should have thin eyebrows. I have no idea why, but they do. I go to one to try them out, they make them way too thin, and then I have to grow them out. This process has been going on for years, but at the beginning of last year I decided that I would grow them out in earnest, and not let any one touch them who didn't have a good report, after my threading disaster.My eyebrows are very very slow to grow, I usually only need to get them done every 8 to 12 weeks because they grow so slowly. They are also extremely fair. Which makes every little hair precious. Which means that you get quite upset when they are ruined.

I have been undergoing brow rehab and absolutely loving it, until today. This morning, I went to get my eyebrows done, and they were made extremely thin again. At a place I had tried a few times, which had made them look wonderful. In all honesty, I am incredibly pissed off. It took me a year to grow them out, they were still sparse in places, and now they are crazy thin. AGAIN. Why Beauticians? WHY DO YOU NOT LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR CLIENTS WANT? WHY DO YOU STILL THINK THIN EYEBROWS ARE NICE? THEY ARE DISGUSTING!

Actually, I should qualify this. One is crazy thin, and short (the beloved tail of the eyebrow that has taken me MONTHS to grow is now gone. Goneskies. Never to be seen again probably, considering that it took so long to grow). The other is not, because I told the girl after she had done the first one WAY TOO THIN that it was way too thin and not to make the other look like that. The response I got to that was "you want to walk around with uneven eyebrows?", to which I replied "Yes". Yes I do. I can draw one back on until it grows out (if it ever does) but take away both of my eyebrows and I will fork you in the eye (a punishment reserved only for my most hated enemies).I am still a little pissed that she said that actually. After explaining why she had done what she had done (I don't care, you don't know my eyebrows from a bar of soap and taking that much off WILL NOT make hairs grow in a certain spot) and saying that to me, I wanted to up and leave. But I didn't. At least I have one reasonably ok eyebrow I guess.

I still feel like crying when I look in the mirror. Call me vain and superficial, smite me for being so vain and not thinking about more wordly things, but seriously, when someone has worked on their eyebrows for this long, I think they have a reason to be upset when in the space of 15 minutes they are completely screwed. Yes, I know that they will probably grow back. I don't care, this is my rant and I want to have it.


This was my eyebrows this morning before they got butchered. I was happy with the thickness, I just needed a tidy. There will be no after shot, because it makes me super sad. In other news, Face of Australia's Forbidden Fruit lippie is a gorgeous colour, don't you agree?

One day someone will let me have Zoe Foster's Eyebrows!! (source: Primped.com.au)

December Empties

2012-01-06T05:30:00.001+10:00

Sorry that this post is a little late, I have had so many interesting things to tell you all! A reasonably small pile of empties last month, even though I was trying desperately hard to empty everything out!! Sad. Hopefully I can get through a lot more in January, so that I can make room for everything that I have been buying lately. This months empties is a pile of firm favourites however, I will be quite sad to see them all go!

1. David Babaii Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioner: My HG Shamps and Cond. There is already another set of bottles languising happily in my shower. I plan to deviate a little from my lover and try the O&M shampoo's and conditioners, so lets see if David Babaii loses top spot. Highly doubt it, really.

2. Innoxa Restore Body Wash: A nice, normal body wash wish a basic, manly smell. It smelt pretty fresh, I really quite liked it. I am a bit of a body wash free spirit though, using what ever comes to hand, so repurchasing will depend on what sort of mood I am in at the time.

3. Nivea Dry and Sensitive Skin Creme Cleanser: this did not agree with my skin. It dried out my skin whilst leaving a film of oil on my skin at the same time. I used it up while I was camping, by basically using it all over my body to get rid of it. I will probably not repurchase this, it just doesn't suit my skin!

4. Neutrogena Ultimate Sport SPF 30+ Lotion and Spray: One of my favourite body sunscreens. I again have another one of each open in the cupboard. Although I am also trialling the Invisible Zinc Body Sunscreen, so lets see if this one gets knocked off top spot too!

5.Skin Juice Pulp Skin Cleansing Paste: my HG cleanser. There is another sitting in my shower, already happily opened. I love this stuff. So much.

6. Dove Foaming Makeup Removing Wash: also love this, a lot. I used it before my Skin Juice to remove my industrial strength layers of sunscreen and makeup, to allow Skin Juice to work. Again, another is open and chilling in the shower with his friends.

7. Akin Rosehip Oil: I use this morning and night as a moisturizer for my skin, and it keeps everything balanced and ensures I do not end up with crazy oily skin. Love. There is another open in the cupboard already.

8. Lanolips 101 Lip Ointment: the famous lanolin ointment for fixing every problem under the sun. If you have not tried a tube of this yet, you definitely should. It is amazing. Again, I already have another tube open!

I hope you all did well getting through your empties this month, I would love to know how you went!

Lime Crime Glamour 101 and Cosmo Pop Review and Swatches

2012-01-05T05:30:00.000+10:00

Lime Crime lippies are amazing, no word of a lie. Famous for making bright, truly one swipe opaque vegan lipsticks in crazy colours like "No She Didn't" (pastel blue) it is worth having at least one of these lipsticks in your collection. Glamour 101 is a maroon with a hint of red wine, it is very berry under toned, and is a perfect lipstick for the retro revival which is under way. Cosmo Pop is a described as a soft buttery orange, and there is no other word for it really! It is very bright and opaque, bit I kinda really love it!! Music festival lipstick ahoy!!

As well as having amazing colour pay off, these lipsticks are quite long lasting - without eating or drinking you will get about 3 to 4 hours wear. When blotted onto your lips they will last all night! Quite literally, I swatched the colours on my hand when my package arrived in the mail, and the swatch is still there the next day, even after washing with Life Buoy.

Plus, they are supremely creamy and feel amazing on your lips. There is a slight soft vanilla smell to the lipsticks too, but it is barely noticeable, which is great for those of you sensitive to fragrance.

No review would be complete without a mention of the fabulous packaging as well - purple with unicorns. It is certainly something which would not get lost in your bag! I actually really like the packaging; it is very sturdy and I am not worried about throwing my lippies willy nilly into my enormous hand bag of junk. I also love the bright colours, it is so cheerful!

Personally, I will probably get more wear out of Glamour 101, as I love a red lip already, but Cosmo Pop is most likely going to be my summer fun lipstick, I have already worn it 3 times because it makes me happy. No joke.

I think Retrofuturist is next on my shopping list -I love the sound of a true red!

Lime Crime lipsticks can be purchased in Australia off MakeUpNet (http://makeupnet.com.au/) which is where I bought mine from.

Lime Crime Cosmo Pop

Lime Crime Glamour 101

The discrepancy between want and need.

2012-01-04T06:30:00.000+10:00

This is what I packed for my holiday, which ended up being used:

You know, the basics. Shampoo, soap, moisturizer, boot tonnes of sunscreen and very minimal makeup.

This is what I packed, and I didn't touch:

Lipstick, real world makeup. Who else has a severe case of over packing? I packed a bunch of unnecessary makeup for a CAMPING TRIP - there is no wonder that it wasn't used. Don't get me started on my inability to pack clothes as well, a blazer is not suitable attire when camping for cold nights, hoodies are much more acceptable. Where was my hoodie? Hiding in the drawer back at home. Sigh.

Please don't think that because there is a roll on deodorant in the not used pile that I didn't wear deodorant however - I used my Rexona spray. I have no idea why I took two deodorants!

I would love to hear your packing stories in the comments - who here is a master packer, and who is a shocker like me?

I broke a cardinal Beauty Blogger Rule...

2012-01-03T06:30:00.000+10:00

I am sure that you have all seen that picture of Kim Kardashian. You know, the one where she is burnt red raw. You haven't seen it?

Source

Now you have. Now, I should hope you would look at that photo and be horrified - the sun is terrible for prematurely aging your skin and contributing to skin cancer and burning is even worse. I myself wax lyrical about sun care, and I wear layers of sunscreen and huge hats when I go to the beach.

This is what I was wearing that fateful day. Plus layers of sunscreen. Do you like my friend PHOTOBOMBING in the background? Haha Classic!

Even so, I got burnt.

Now, I need to slap myself silly a little for forgetting to be super thorough with my sunscreen application, although it probably wouldn't have helped (New Years Day, 'nuff said), but what can help is Aloe Vera and Calamine Lotion, and lots of it.

In the first 48 hours of sunburn your skin is still burning, so immediate relief involves a cold shower and after sun care. Be vigilant about your after sun care however, it cannot contain any oils (or alcohol) in the first 48 hours, as this can help lock in the heat and continue to burn your skin. Instead, look for products which contain Aloe Vera, Chamomile, as well as vitamins to replenish and heal your skin, such as vitamin B and E.

One such wonderful product is the Akin Pure Emergency Gel, which contains Chamomile, Aloe and D Panthenol (a derivative of Vit B) to help repair all of the damage that you have done to yourself. I absolutely swear by this product -its amazing!

Calamine lotion is a family remedy for its ability to soothe sunburn (based on Chamomile, a wonderful skin soother). Calamine lotion turns out white on your skin however, so it can only be used at night time, or if your pet fish is not offended by you walking around like a poorly face painted child.

Vaseline recently brought out a Aloe Vera based moisturizer, the Aloe Fresh Moisturising Body Gel. This baby isn't 100% Aloe Vera, however it does contain a pretty high percentage of Aloe, and therefore can do wonders for burnt skin.

Vaseline also brought out a body lotion which contains SPF 15+. It was about time a mainstream company brought this out! This is perfect for those days when you are walking to and from work and staying inside most of the day, SPF 30+ is needed for any more time in the sun.

Oh, and try not to miss putting sunscreen on parts of your back, New Years Day or no New Years Day!

New Years Eve FOTD (+ Chanel Mademoiselle)

2012-01-02T06:30:00.000+10:00

Happy New Year to all of my lovely blog readers! I hope that you brought 2012 in with a great sense of fun and accomplishment from the past year! My New Years involved board games, Moscato and fireworks on the beach with some of my very good friends, a perfect night for me really!

I want to hear all about your New Years in the comments please, so for now I will just give you the list of products that were used for my New Years makeup.

Primer: Smashbox Photo Ready (Oil Free)
Foundation: Clinique Superbalanced
Concealor: Essence Under Eye Concealor, and Face of Australia Concealor stick in Neutral
Powder: Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder
Blush: Illamasqua Creme Blush in Rude
Bronzer: Bobbi Brown All Over Bronzing Gel
Eyeshadow: Rimmel Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe
Liquid Liner: Rimmel Professional Liquid Eyeliner
Mascara: Maybelline Colossal
Lipstick: Chanel Mademoiselle

Ahhh, Chanel Mademoiselle, my second ever Chanel Purchase. You are so pretty with your neutral rose colour, although I do need to tread lightly, a thick coat and you look a little nineties, or "much older lady". A fabulous lipstick for work and being sophisticated, not one for running around at a music festival!

Ajana All Natural Cinnamon Soy Wax Candle

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000+10:00

This candle is the definition of Christmas and the Silly Season. Scented with the delicious smell of Cinnamon, this amazing candle makes you think of Christmas with every sniff. I know that Christmas was a few days ago, but I love Christmas and I love to try and keep it going.

Ajana is an all natural Australian company, and the candles are pure Soy Wax (no nasties here). Their candles are pure luxury, and the perfect thing to spoil yourself with during the Silly Season!

Check them out at www.ajana.com.au

Review: MAC Russian Red

2011-12-29T08:00:00.000+10:00

Oh MAC Russian Red, you were my dream for so long, and you became a reality at Christmas. Today I have some swatches for you, because I only really have first impressions. My major first impression though is that I love this lipstick. When applied correctly it lasted me through Christmas lunch (and then I took it off to play with my Chanel Lipstick).

MAC Russian Red is a gorgeous vampy red, which is very close to a true red on me. The matte finish means that it lasts longer than MAC Red, although personally I do like the colour of MAC Red a tiny bit better. It applies so softly and smoothly though, it doesn't feel supremely waxy like some matte formulas. This one is a definite winner, no wonder it is always on the "Top Red Lipstick" lists!

My Christmas Face. That expains the crazy bright smile haha.

I finally own something from CHANEL!!

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000+10:00

Chanel Chintz: a gorgeous soft coral pink, which is the most perfect nude. Light without washing out very pale skin tones. Chintz is flattering, soft in texture, handbag worthy, and makes any smile perk up with the packaging. I love it. The packaging is so luxurious, just holding it makes me feel like an important business woman. I can see myself wearing this lipstick an awful lot - it is absolutely wonderful! I will have to use it in a FOTD soon!

Holiday FOTD: Face of Australia Lip Quench in Lychee Crush

2011-12-27T08:08:00.000+10:00

This one is for the lovely Rosemary Slade of Lashes and Lattes, who inspired me to buy Lychee Crush yesterday and wanted a picture. I am technically on holidays at the moment, and I am supposed to be away from the blog (poor boyfriend, never stood a chance) hence the very simple FOTD. Quite literally, I used 5 products:

1. Invisible Zinc Silk Shield Foundation in Light
2. MAC Bronzer in Golden
3. MAC blush in Pinch o' Peach
4.. Maybelline Colossal in Black
5. Face of Australia Lip Quench in Lychee Crush.

I have blogged about my love for FOA before, their products are such hits for such low price points. The Lip Quench Lippies are absolutely fantastic, they are SPF 30+, insanely moisturizing - they contain Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E and Shea Butter - and relatively long lasting (considering the amount of moisturizing goodness that is in them). The colours in the new collection are absolutely out of this world as well, Malibu Barbie and Pink Champagne are also worth a look! I picked Forbidden Fruit up when I picked up Lychee Crush, because I absolutely love the raspberry colour, and I figured it would be a perfect music festival lip - bright colour with SPF. In fact, all of these colours are perfect summer colours, definitely worth a trip to your local Big W or Kmart!

Find all of the colours on the Face of Australia Website (Stockists are very helpfully listed).

I will have to do a FOTD with Forbidden Fruit soon, so you can all see how lovely it looks!

How to make red lipstick last longer (tutorial)

2011-12-26T18:47:00.001+10:00

I know I said that I was on holidays, but I decided that this post was necessary, due to it being Christmas and the Silly Season and you all going to parties and New Years Eve do's and getting kissed at midnight. One of the nicest New Years looks is red lipstick, but after a few drinks, nibblies, and New Years Eve kisses it can come off, and you can end up looking like me, yesterday, at Christmas...

In fact, I felt like such an idiot that I decided that I had better do this post so that no one else ends up looking like me! Red lipstick smears kinda suck. Just a little. In my defence I had just tried MAC Russian Red (which I got for Christmas, YAY) and hadn't followed these steps, which I usually do when applying lippie. *Slaps forehead*.

To make your red lipstick last takes a little time, but the end result is so worth it that it makes up for the time that it takes.

1. Prep that pretty face of yours and do all the rest of your makeup - foundation, bronzer, blush, etc. Including eyes if you are going all out for the silly season.

2. Find a red or nude lipliner, and outline the edge of your lips. Then, fill in your lips, so that your entire lip is now shaded red/nude. This is a crucial step into making your lipstick last longer, because lip pencil is so thick and waxy it will stay put even after all of the rest of the lipstick is completely gone. I know that some say to apply a waxy lip balm first, but in my experience I have found that actually helps my lipstick to come off quicker.

3. Using a lip brush, fill in your lips with your chosen lipstick. A lip brush helps you to press the lipstick into your lips, ultimately making it last longer. It also helps you to get a perfect line, and lovely Silly Season lips.

4. Blot with a tissue - you will get lovely pout shapes on the tissue. I am not exactly sure why this helps it to last longer, but it does.

5. Grab your lip brush and fill in your lips again, the double coat of lipstick makes all the difference!

There you have it. Red lips that should last all night, to go with those gorgeous filled in eyebrows that you shall be sporting!

PS. So sorry about the state of my skin, I have been using my Clarisonic and my skin is purging like crazy. Even though I was warned numerous times not to do it over Christmas by my darling beauty blogging community because they said skin purges. Le Idiot!

UPDATED: Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-23T12:46:00.000+10:00

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and New Year - see you on the flip side everyone! I am taking a short break (holidays are wonderful, necessary things) but I will be back on the Third of January, most likely with holiday pictures. Please follow me on twitter and facebook (see sidebar), and instagram (tegania11) because I am likely to be posting pictures during the week. I am also going to miss you all like crazy, so I would appreciate some social media contact!!

Merry Christmas everyone, I love you all!!

PS. Face of The Day (which is how I plan to wear my makeup for Christmas):

MAC Pro Long Wear Foundation in NC15
MAC Pinch o Peach Blush
MAC Bronzer in Golden

Rimmel Professional Eye Liner

Maybelline Colossal Mascara

MAC lipstick in MAC Red.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

UPDATE: It appears that I cannot stay away from my computer, over Christmas I had a thousand things wizzing around in my head which I had to get down. So, I wrote them down, and I have scheduled some posts for during the week, as my boyfriend is attempting a "blog free holiday". Good luck to him, but let's see how he goes! I hope you enjoy reading my posts, I can't wait to read what you have all been up to when I am allowed near a computer again!
I will still have my phone however, so twitter, facebook and instagram ahoy!

My Christmas Pedicure

2011-12-22T15:40:00.000+10:00

I gave myself a little present today, in the form of a Christmas Pedicure. I would have done a manicure except a) I am hopeless at it and b) I am super hopeless at it, so pedicure it was!

The colour? OPI Nail Lacquer in Big Apple Red*. This colour is such a beautiful, bright red, which takes only one coat to show you all it's opaque shiny glory. It also applies like a dream; no clumps, all smooth lines. OPI is also the big three free - Formaldehyde, Toulene and DBP - and considering the amount of alcohol I plan to ingest come Christmas that is probably a good thing.

I think the last little baby is the colour I will be wearing come New Years Eve. It is an OPI mini, I am guessing it is Atomic Orange (the mini's at Price Attack don't have labels on the bottom to let you know). I love the mini bottles, so damn cute!

What polish will you be wearing this Christmas/New Years?

*This OPI polish was in my goody bag from ABBW. I am not obligated to write about it, I am writing because I love it!

Hoarder! Yes, I said it, I am a hoarder!

2011-12-21T05:53:00.000+10:00

Sparkly, shiny, pretty, smells good - basically, I am a magpie. Who hoards. Who continuously buys more and more products even when she has many, because she likes them. I am not afraid to admit that I appear shallow and vapid, I am not afraid to admit that I don't really care that I appear shallow and vapid. I love beauty products, and I will probably hoard them until the day I die.

I go through stages of things, and my current favourite product to buy up huge quantities of is lipsticks. I noticed just how bad it was when I emptied my hand bag the other day and found SIX lipsticks in my bag (not including lip balms, my gosh who knows how many of those are in there), which all had a firm place, and I desperately needed to keep in my bag!

Counting my lipsticks, I have 6 neutrals, 3 corals, 8 reds, and 12 pinks, and have 5 more in the mail/asked for as Christmas Presents (Chanel Chintz, Ciccone Oceanus and Coluptas purchased by me currently in the mail, Chanel Mademoiselle and MAC Russian Red asked for as Christmas Presents).

My name is Tegan and I am a lipstick obsessive. Oh oh, please send me to lipstick rehab now!

The babies that live in my handbag...

The rest of the culprits!

Christmas is only 4 sleeps away now!! 3 whole days to go!!!

A Perfect Christmas Red

2011-12-20T12:34:00.000+10:00

Christmas is fast approaching and I am getting more and more excited every day. I have finally decided which lipstick I am going to wear (first world decisions, I know) and the winner is MAC Red.

Oh MAC Red, you are the newbie in my collection, but you make me so happy. You were the very first MAC lipstick that I purchased myself (the other that I own I got from "Back to MAC"), you were purchased as retail therapy for my pet budgie dying, you are my most recent lipstick purchase; therefore still having the novelty factor, as well as being an insanely amazing lipstick!

MAC Red is a lovely silky smooth lipstick, which applies like a dream. Soft, brightly pigmented, a lovely cherry/blue based red, which is quite long lasting (3 hours without food) and doesn't dry your lips out... MAC Red, you are my idea of heaven in a lipstick. Plus the packaging, you can't go past the sleek black bullet cases.

I think I shall have to tell Tim that he has been replaced by a lipstick, poor love!

Merry Christmas - only 4 more days to go!

I love my santa wreath - isn't he adorable???

Endota Spa will be looking after your New Years Resolutions this year

2011-12-19T12:57:00.000+10:00

If you are anything like me, looking good for the year ahead is important. So is going back to work looking half alive and like you had a wonderful restful holiday, instead of one spent causing mischief and being a little bit too merry.

If you are the latter, Endota Spa has you covered in the months of January and February.

January: with any organic spray tan treatment, recieve 20% off organic gradual self tan.
with every one hour dermologica skin treatment, recieve a free dermologica exfoliation duo

In February: a one hour organic facial and 30 min massage is only $110 dollars. I think I am going to definitely need one of these towards the end of february when I am finishing up my HM prac!!

Gotta love Endota for looking after you after the merriness that is Christmas!!

Images courtesy of PR - thank you kindly.

FOTD: Jacob's Well

2011-12-16T13:02:00.000+10:00

Happy Friday Everyone!! This weeks FOTD comes from a couple of weeks ago, but it is what I hope to be doing tomorrow (road triping to the coast) so I thought it might be a little appropriate. My boyfriends mother lives in Jacobs Well (a little fishing town between Brisbane and the Gold Coast). A few weeks ago we went for a visit on a sunday afternoon, but we got a little caught visiting the water front at dusk. It was so beautiful, although it doesn't show too well in the photos!

I love my Mimco T Bar Sandles

FOTD:
Clinique Superbalanced Foundation in Alabaster
MAC Pinch o' Peach Blush
Maybelline Colossal Mascara
Korres Mango Butter Lipstick in Peach

and that's it! It was a lazy sunday after work, after all!!

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend, full of fun the weekend before Christmas!!

Review: Sukin Purely Ageless Botanical Hydration Booster

2011-12-15T14:26:00.000+10:00

I am sure a fair few of us are on the hunt for hydration, and this little bottle of oily goodness is designed to give you just that. Myself, I had a facial and a peel last week (more on that later), and while there my beauty therapist commented on the state of my skin. At my previous facials she has been horrified about how dry and tight my skin was, whereas this time she said that I still had some trans dermal dryness, however it was better than before. Success! I am attributing this step in the right direction to my current use of Sukin Botanical Hydration Booster, as I have been using this for almost a month and really enjoying the results. Plus, huge amounts of rosehip oil get pumped into my skin daily, and this is definitely helping as well. Anyway, back on topic.

Sukin Purely Ageless Botanical Hydration Booster is a skin oil, which is designed to be used as a serum. I have been using it as my night time moisturizer, over the top of my Clinique Even Better Clinical Skin Tone Corrector. I have been using rosehip oil as my moisturizer all year, so I am used to the feel of the oil on my skin. Sukin soaks in very rapidly if you are worried about oil however - give it ten minutes on my skin and it has completely soaked in!

The wonder ingredients in this oil which aid hydration include Jojoba Seed Oil which is an oil very close in structure to the natural structure of our skin, which hydrates the skin like no tomorrow. It also contains sweet almond oil, Argan Oil and Vitamin E to knock some hydration into your skin. Immortelle and Vitamin A helps to aid collagen production, whilst ylang ylang helps to balance the skin. All in all, this product is definitely a "hydration booster" (hahaha I am so lame).

My beauty therapist warned me that Jojoba may be too heavy for my pimple prone skin, but I have been finding it alright so far in terms of breakouts. Hurrah! I have also been recommended to start using Vitamin A serum to help control my skin however, so let's see how it all reacts together.

Liebster Blog Award

2011-12-13T20:03:00.001+10:00

The Liebster Award, (Liebster meaning favourite) is given out from other bloggers, to blogs with less than 200 followers, to help spread the love around. When GFC leaves this will be far less relevant, so we need to use it while we can! I recieved the Liebster Award from Chelsea, Ingrid and Melissa (thanks guys!!), and I am now spreading the love around.

What is the Liebster Award:

Well is it " Liebster" is a German word which means dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favourite. The idea of the Liebster award is that it is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers, all in the spirit of fostering new connections and to bring attention to these brilliant blogs!

Rules:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you.

2. Reveal the five blogs you have chosen and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog.

3. Copy and paste the award onto your blog.

4. Request that people you have sent the award to forward it on to their favourite bloggers.

My 5 nominated blogs, or my lovely little favourites, are:

1. Beauty In the Sky- a lovely Australian Blogger from Perth who writes fantastic reviews on all things beauty.
2. Haute and Stylish - a darling blogger who has an amazing blog, and won't be under 200 followers for long!
3. Shopping Intervention - a blogger who is absolutely beautiful, I am actually a little jealous... haha
4. Parlour and Loot - a wonderful blogger who has a fantastic sense of style!!
5. Little Jo - adorable pictures and adorable writing, this is such a lovely blog!

200th post: Drop of Pink Guest Post

2011-12-13T12:23:00.001+10:00

I have reached my 200th post, and to commemorate it I decided to use it to spruik a post I wrote on the website dropofpink.com. Because I am classy like that!

Ever wanted the easiest way to fill in your brows, using either a pencil or a wax and powder set? Head on over and check it out!

http://www.dropofpink.com/2011/12/12/how-to-get-bold-beautiful-brows/

A teaser? My tools of the trade:

I would love to know what you thought of my guest post!

Two perfect "handbag" lipsticks

2011-12-13T12:06:00.003+10:00

Although I tend to be the President of the Bag within a Bag within a Bag club, I am always one to go through these little bags quite regularly. The 6000+ lip products which get toted around with me get updated a fair bit, but there are two which are always left in there. My two, never fail, perfect handbag lip colours.

I am sure you all have "handbag" lipsticks, these are the lipsticks you reach for when you don't have a mirror, or are in such a rush you can't be bothered with the lip brush. Something light, easy to apply, which doesn't matter if you don't quite get within the lines. Or the colours you wear when you are going to prac and are worried that you will get laughed out of existence by your very manly prac supervisor (EP's tend not to wear makeup - I picked the wrong career path obvs). OOOPS, is that just me?

1. Face of Australia Lip Quench 30+ in Silver Rose*

This is is a wonderful bronze apricot nude shade. It is a case of looking at the colour in the tube and thinking "eh", then applying the lippie and thinking: amazing! It is a long lasting, moisturizing lippie, which contains SPF 30+, which is an amazing drawcard. Not enough lipsticks contain SPF, and it is something which is desperately needed. Next on my wish list from FOA - Forbidden Fruit. Have you seen that colour? AMAZING!

2. Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush

I bought this colour after seeing it on a friend, it is her go to colour for absolutely everything. I love it too. Pink Blush is a soft baby pink, which enhances pale skin tones, instead of washing them out as baby pinks can tend to do. It is also fantastically long lasting; like Alarm it will last through almost anything. Add to that a soft yet waxy finish which doesn't really dry out your lips, and you have one heck of a great lipstick.

*Sponsored Product from ABBW. This has in no way affected my decision, we were not obligated to write about these products, I write because I love them!

It's a Brisbane Beauty Bloggers Christmas!

2011-12-12T14:19:00.001+10:00

I didn't take many photos last night at the Brisbane Beauty Bloggers Christmas Event, but those that I did I shall put up for you now. Last night we had a lovely social dinner, followed by a blogger swap. I had never taken part in a swap before, but I had heard stories; our swap was much more civilised (there was a lot of passing around and sharing), it helps when you are all friends!

Thank you to Sarah and Annika for organising the dinner, and a big thank you to Katy and Desiree who drove from Hervey Bay and Gympie respectively, thank you for making the effort to come and visit us!!

A Lorne FOTD featuring Poppy King Lipstick in Moment

2011-12-09T12:22:00.000+10:00

Everything without the lippie...

Poppy King Lipstick in Moment just finishes it off!

Oh look, my new Mimco Clutch!

Isn't it interesting how dull and boring an outfit can be prior to a pop of red lipstick? I think anyway. Lipstick just finishes everything off, and makes it look like you took some time with your appearance, even if you got ready in about 15 minutes like I had!

This lipstick is Poppy King Lipstick in Moment - I reviewed it a long time ago here, but it has since remained a fast favourite!

This outfit is also what I wore out to dinner in Lorne, it was cold enough for jeans which was fantastic - I could finally wear my sparkly Just Jeans top; it's first outing.

The reason for this post - I think I am going to wear my makeup like this tonight and tomorrow night, and probably sunday night - I am gearing up for a huge weekend of christmas parties and get togethers, and I need something fool proof which can be done in 3 minutes flat. Poppy King in Moment - do my bidding!!!

Products for the FOTD:
Akin Rosehip Oil (see my review of this on my guest post on Leaders in Heels!)
Clinique Superbalanced Foundation in Alabaster
MAC Pinch o' Peach Blush
Rimmel Professional Liquid Liner
Maybelline Colossal Mascara (Black)
Poppy King the Lipstick Queen in Moment

Review: Loreal Mythic Hair Oil

2011-12-08T18:20:00.000+10:00

My very first thoughts on this oil? It smells so damn good! So so very good. It smells like white flowers, and it is so delightful it puts a involuntary smile on my face every single time I put some in my hair. Weirdo, I know.

This oil is designed to nourish your hair and contains avocado and grape seed oils to do just that. It is also designed to leave your hair shiny and after a period of use - very healthy. It does, it does just what it claims to. I have been using this oil applied mid lengths to ends for the past few weeks, and the condition of my hair has improved immensly. I should mention that I went and got 2 inches cut off my hair during that period of time, but prior to that I had been noticing that the condition of my hair was improving with use of the oil.

I have incredibly fine hair and this oil has been perfect for me. It hasn't weighed my hair down or helped it to be oily before it needs to be washed, in fact I have noticed that it soaks in while my hair dries, and on the second day post hair washing you cannot feel any product in my hair at all. It also helps keep fly aways at bay, which is a massive problem with fine hair.

This product was gifted from ABBW in the goody bags, I am in no way obligated to review this product and all thoughts are 100% my own.

Christmas Baking

2011-12-07T19:35:00.001+10:00

What is better than a night with some of your best friends, baking Gingerbread Man and Reindeer and Shortbread Stars. Plus rumballs, who can forget rumballs? Delicious! It is beginning to feel like Christmas already!!

OM NOM NOM NOM NOM!!

I decorated the gingerbread man, i love him!!

Links to the recipes:

Rumballs: http://thecookbook.com.au/2008/11/19/rum-balls/ (our rumballs had raisins added as well)
Star Sugar Cookies: http://www.woolworthschristmas.com.au/festivefeast/173/Shortbread-stars
Gingerbread Reindeers: http://www.woolworthschristmas.com.au/festivefeast/103/Reindeer-gingerbread-biscuits

Thanks to my lovely friend K for organising all of the ingredients and letting us make a mess of her kitchen!!

*All images remain property of Tegania's Thoughts. No use is permitted without prior written consent and correct referencing.

Depotting Eyeshadows

2011-12-07T09:32:00.000+10:00

I stole this idea off Yolly and Winnie, it's an absolute cracker and deserves to be copied! Basically, I had a heap of eyeshadows hanging around which never got used, because they were in little piles in my SLA Make Up box, which were just too hard to sort through in the mornings. Lots of beauty bloggers have been depotting their eyeshadows at the moment, and I have loved the idea each and every time, so I decided to copy!

Choose the clutch purse and eyeshadows that you want to depot:

To depot an eyeshadow:
1. Get your GHD, turn it on, and lay a piece of paper towel over the plate.

2. Place the eyeshadow over the paper and hot plate, and leave it til it heats up. This is to loosen the glue, and make the eyeshadows easier to get out of their little containers!

3. Get a knife and prise the eyeshadow out of the container. Be careful, some of mine suffered damage or were completely wrecked while trying to prise them out of their containers. Namely, FOA and Sportsgirl - why do you make your eyeshadows to hard to depot?

To assemble into the clutch purse:

1. Get some sissors and chop the innards out of a clutch purse of your choosing. One that is big enough to hold all of your eyeshadows. Then get a knife and tidy up the edges.

2. Assemble the eyeshadows in which ever pattern that you like!

3. Super glue down into position.

Final assembled product:

Plus, all the empty containers that I got to throw away, leaving room for my lipsticks!!

More Christmas Haulage

2011-12-06T14:39:00.001+10:00

Now, in my defence most of this stuff is for other people. When I say most I mean about half. Unless I decide to keep it for myself. No, I will be good, I promise! Kmart was just having a very cheap Rimmel/Australis sale, and for stocking stuffers for my friends I couldn't resist!

The List - Left to Right:

1. Australis Nail Colour in Knickers in a Knot
2. Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in Instyle Coral
3. Australis Nail Colour in Sweetpea
4. Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in Double Decker Red
5. Rimmel I <3 Lasting Finish in Lemon Drop
6. Rimmel 60 Second Nail Polish in Coralicious
7. Rimmel Mono Eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe
8. FOA Eyeliner Sharpener
9. Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Pink Blush

Monday Haul

2011-12-06T08:29:00.000+10:00

I did a little bit of Christmas shopping yesterday, and I ended up picking up a few things for myself! I want MAC Russian Red so bad, so I ended up buying two different lippies instead, because when I want something I end up buying a thousand similar items until I finally cave and get the one that I want. I should have learnt by now to just buy the one original that I want, but I haven't, and I probably never will.

In the end, I decided that a) because I smashed my Inglot bronzer by accident and b) if I get MAC Russian Red on "Back to MAC" I can justify it, because right now I cannot justify the price, I bought a MAC bronzer in Golden. This was the bronzer that I used before Inglot and I loved it, so if I go through a few of these maybe I will have Russian Red before I know it? Probs not, but lets see.

I also ended up with a couple of other items. The clutch was for an avenue which I shall show you tomorrow, and the little card wallet was an experiment in the fact that I really need somewhere to put my cards. The Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans - well, can someone say ADDICT?

MAC Bronzer in Golden.

NYX Lipstick in FIRE

Sportsgirl Lipstick in Bombshell Matte

MAC bronzer in golden - a beautiful, light, buildable bronzer with no shimmer. It is fantastic, as I mentioned it was the bronzer that I loved for a long time before Inglot, and it was worth giving a go again, I mean it's MAC, after all!

The NYX Lippie is a lovely colour, but it doesn't have much longevity! Two hours max and it had faded, without eating. The formulation is so smooth though, it is like applying a lip balm to your lips.

The Sportsgirl Lippie is an even better colour, a deep "bombshell" red. I love it. Plus, it lasts ages, and doesn't feel drying at all for being a matte finish lipstick! I love love love this, I plan to make it my signiture lippie for the holidays.

Masquerade Ball FOTD and Alannah Hill OOTD

2011-12-05T10:46:00.001+10:00

This weekend was busy, but amazing, mainly due to the fantastic time I had dressing up for a friends 21st! As the theme was Masquerade Ball, I channelled Gossip Girl a little bit with my outfit.

Dress - Alannah Hill. Pumps - Miss Shop. Necklace - Tiffany. Mask - a junk shop. Mimco Clutch.

The pattern on the dress! Plus, these are the most comfortable heels that I own. They are Ah-may-zing!

I noticed in the picture that my mask was over my eye, stupid thing kept falling down! I ended up taking it off pretty quickly into the night, and carrying it around with me, which I figured was a much better option.

Now to the important part - my makeup!

FOTD:

Clinique Superbalanced in Alabaster
Revlon Age Defying Under Eye Concealer (light)
Australis Ready Set Go Finishing Powder
MAC Powder Blush in Pinch o' Peach
Benefit Brows A Go-Go Kit - wax and lightest powder
Rimmel Punchy Taupe Mono Eyeshadow
Rimmel Professional Liquid Eyeliner
Maybelline Colossal Mascara

Now, here comes the fun part! The lipstick is actually 3 layers, of three different colours, to make the lipstick stay - I did not want to reapply if I could at all help it! These were:

1. A layer of Australis Showstopper Gloss Stick in Hoola Hoop (fun fact, my friend actually bought this and was wearing it on the night after my recommendation!). I blotted this with a tissue to remove the gloss, to leave the long lasting tint.

2. A layer of Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Alarm - fantastic, bright fire engine red which lasts AGES. However, I wanted something a little bit more vampy, so over the top went:

3. A layer of Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Red Revival - a beautiful strong red, which is one of my absolute favourites. It doesn't have much lasting power on me however, which is why the other layers were underneath.

A close up of the final mix:

Finally, for food measure - the hair:

Sometimes I love dressing up!!

Leaders In Heels "Top Three Products by Beauty Bloggers"

2011-12-04T17:22:00.000+10:00

Guess who got interviewed for Leaders in Heels? You guessed right, me! I am super excited, this was my first ever interview! Kasia - the editor of Leaders in Heels, who is an absolute darling - asked me what my three Holy Grail/cannot live without/I would go crazy on a desert island without these products were, and I answered. To find out those answers, you are going to have to head on over to Leaders in Heels!

Please head over to Leaders in Heels and check it out, I would greatly appreciate it!

LINK: http://leadersinheels.com/news/top-3-skincare-products-by-teganias-thoughts/

http://leadersinheels.com/

Review: Face Of Australia Liquid Eyeliner in Black

2011-12-02T07:57:00.001+10:00

Everyone needs a little liquid liner for their friday night, right? I have an obsession with liquid eyeliner, I think its something that stems from liking to look as polished as possible. My favourite for the longest time has been Rimmel Professional, it is absolutely amazing. Sadly, Face of Australia will not be taking over top spot in my eyeliner repertoire, however as an eyeliner it does do a pretty bang up job.

The Face of Australia liquid eyeliner is one of my favourite types, one that has the brush and the little pot with the liquid in it. I find these work best, as the the texta ones dry out super quickly and gel eyeliners are great but I prefer the glossy look of liquid as well. But hey, that is just my personal preference!

Face of Australia Liquid Eyeliner is extremely long lasting and gives a very black finish, however I find that I need to do a couple of coats to get the intensity of colour that you get with one stroke of Rimmel Professional. I also find that because the brush is slightly larger, I make a huge mess of application, and end up getting it all over my eyelid, which is not ideal. I know a lot of other bloggers love this eye liner however, so it must be something that I am doing with application.

Left two = Rimmel, Right two = FOA

Left = FOA, Right = Rimmel

Non Smooth Line from FOA

Beautiful Smooth Line from Rimmel

The eyeliner is over my Rimmel eyeshadow in Punchy Taupe.

I received this as sponsored product from ABBW. I am under no obligation to review this product and my thoughts are 100% honest, as always.

November Empties

2011-12-01T11:04:00.000+10:00

1. Palmolive Naturals Shower Milk in Milk and Honey - Yolly told me that there is nothing quite like this, and she is right. I have bought this over and over, and will definitely continue to do so. It smells divine!

2. Dove Go Fresh Body Wash in Revive - I received this as part of ABBW, and I really loved it. It smells very sweet, but not too sweet that it gives you a headache. The only problem that I found, and maybe I am just a bit tarded, but it is hard to moderate the amount that you are going to use. One squeeze of the bottle and a awful lot of product will come shooting out! Would I repurchase? Perhaps. Depends how dexterous I can become.

3. David Babaii Hydrating Conditioner - have bought over and over, and will continue to do so. The hydrating shampoo and conditioner and my HG Shamps and Conds. Love. (I realise that there is ooze on it in this picture, that came out of the Skin Juice bottle, and I didn't notice til after it was photographed. I think I must have had my eyes shut!).

4. Dove Original Anti-perspirant - I quite enjoy this anti-perspirant, it lasts a long time alleviating the need for constant under arm sniffs. I like the powdery scent too. At the moment, Rexona is number one, but Dove is number two in my list.

5. Skin Juice Revivial Face Scrub - I really like the new formula better than this one, but this is a fantastic scrub for really pulling everything out of your skin, and helping to heal it. Repurchase - yes.

6. Prive Shampoo and Conditioner Samples - I didn't really like these. They tended to dry my hair out a little. Just not for my hair, so lucky they were samples!

7. Nivea Daily Essentials Exfoliating Face Scrub - a bit too harsh for my dry skin, I ended up using this all over my body to use it up. It left my skin feeling very tight and dry afterwards, which is a tad unpleasant to me. Repurchase - no.

8. Pearl Drops Beauty Pearls Tooth Polish - I love the Pearl Drops range, they are the best tooth whitening products that I have found in Australia. I prefer the toothpaste in the tube however, just for easier use. This one tends to ooze everywhere when you open it!

9. Colgate Total - a good all round toothpaste. No real whitening affects though.

10. Inglot Bronzer in #80 - this was/is my favourite bronzer, I dropped it when I was in Melbourne and I nearly cried. I will definitely be repurchasing this, I have not found anything else as perfect. It is matte, light enough to warm up vampires, and brown not orange. I love this so very much.

11. The Balm Mary-Lou Manizer - I dropped this when I was in Melbourne too, such a sad day for makeup. This is a great luminiser, it gives a beautiful pearly finish. I prefer powder illuminators as I find them easier to use, but that's just me.

12. Revlon Age Defying Spa Under Eye Illuminating Concealer - this was a tad oily, it interrupts the longevity of your mascara, so you end up with lovely black circles very quickly. It does hide under eye bags and circles with incredible ease though. I probably won't repurchase, but I didn't hate it.

13. Clinique Eye Make Up Remover sample - this was great, it is just a tad expensive for me. When I graduate and become richer, it may be on the purchase list.

14. Clinique Super Defence SPF 25 Age Defence Moisturizer - this is a great moisturizer, however it is not quite enough for my very thirsty skin. It contains fantastic anti-oxidants and ingredients however, and the formula is great. I used it with another moisturizer (Skin Juice Citrus) over the top to add a little more moisture.

14 things finished last month. Hurrah!! Let's see if I can do better next month! I am pretty keen to buy up big over the sales, so I better make some room in my cupboard!

Torquay, Bells Beach, the Lighthouse (OOTD)

2011-11-30T06:36:00.001+10:00

Cotton On Skirt, Valley Girl top. Adidas Watch. Tiffany Necklace, Rayban Sunnies.

This is what I did a lot of the holiday - twitter! I got in trouble a fair bit.. haha

The beaches are absolutely amazing. I had the best best time!

Before and After Melbourne Haul

2011-11-29T13:06:00.000+10:00

Before I went to Melbourne I bought a set from Travel Style Mavens Ciao Bella, and although I wasn't clever enough to buy it in time before I left, it was a lovely surprise waiting for me when I got home. I love that it is real leather, it is absolutely beautiful. I love the packaging that it came in as well, super cute!

On my last day in Melbourne I went to Daiso - the Japanese shop where everything is $2.80. Everything. It was amazing. I was on the hunt for some cheap Asian Cosmetics to play around with, and boy did they deliver! Plus, the little orange pencil case was just cute as, it is bright orange, what is not to love? The lipsticks are quite waxy, but they appear to be pretty long lasting, once I have tried them out I shall keep you posted. Plus, the eyeliners are pretty cool, one is a flat square foam brush, the other is a thin brush. I am pretty excited to try these, again, I shall keep you posted!

Manic (ure) Mondays Take Three

2011-11-28T06:18:00.000+10:00

Final installment of the Manic Mondays series, on my Maybelline nail polishes. Part one = here, part two = here.

Dark Plum is a beautiful black purple. It has a better formulation than the Urban Lemon, Party Blue and the Green, which means that it was much easier to apply. Two coats gives you a very opaque, dark purple. Perfect for standing out!

Coral Rose is another colour with a light orange shimmer fleck through it, but this again somehow made the formula much better, and an awful lot easier to spread without patchiness. In fact, this polish has the easiest application of the lot.

Packing for Melbourne

2011-11-24T16:27:00.000+10:00

My red robe must come with me. I am going with my boyfriend after all ;)

Another to add to the collection...

2011-11-23T16:00:00.000+10:00

Mimco Turnlock Travel Wallet (Black)

Beautiful, isnt it? I realise that the title makes it sound like I just skittishly went and bought this, with no real thought or feeling. Quite the opposite, I have been dreaming about it for weeks, finally when Mimco had another flash sale I figured that I better pounce! This is the Mimco Turnlock Travel Wallet in Black. I bought this one as a wallet to keep my spare cards in, because my wallet isn't big enough. I think it's too pretty to chill out in my bag though, plus my phone fits in it! I think this may just become my new clutch bag... In any rate, it is amazingly beautiful, and I kinda just feel like cuddling it. I cannot believe it is finally mine...

Oh Australis, you have pleased me again.

2011-11-23T06:40:00.000+10:00

I mean, just look at my Tag Cloud and you can see how many times I have reviewed their products. Once again, I am obsessed with an Australis product. This time, it is the Show Stopper Gloss Sticks, in particular the colour of Hoola Hoop, although the next time I head to Priceline I will be picking up a couple of the other colours me thinks. This product is that good.

The Gloss Sticks are basically lip tints, which give you a brightly coloured finish with a slight gloss to the look. The tint however lasts for AGES, which is the reason that I love this product so much. I have a tendency to lick my lips a lot, especially when I am eating or drinking, which is something that I didn't notice until I started wearing lipstick all the time and wondering where the hell it always disappeared to. This tint last remarkably well through my lip licking (ewww, sounds so gross haha) although the colour does start to fade after 4 to 6 hours of wear, depending on how much you have eaten. The gloss disappears pretty quickly, leaving the lovely tint for those of us out there who aren't a big fan of lip gloss - my hand is up.

I love this lippie very much. The only negative that I have is that when it starts to come off it leaves a ring around your lips, which is almost impossible to get off without makeup remover. Reapplication of the gloss stick hides this somewhat, however you don't get as perfect finish as when you first apply it. Small price to pay I think, for me finding a lippie that actually stays on my lips without feeling like paint.

This product featured in these two FOTD posts, if you are wanting to have a bit more of a look: one, and two.

My last day of holidays Outfit of the Day and Face of the Day

2011-11-21T21:47:00.000+10:00

Last friday was my last day of holidays before I started prac this week, and I spent the day running errands, before going to a friends party. For once it wasn't deathly hot in Brisbane, so I wore my midi skirt. This was basically a chance for me to play with my new camera, and a chance for me to discover that I really need to clean my mirror!

OOTD: Cotton On White Square Shirt, Dotti Skirt

FOTD:

Yes, I realise that it is super powdery, but I live in Brisbane, and this was freshly applied. If I had of given it ten more minutes to soak in/for the humidity to get it before taking the picture it would have looked perfect. Ten minutes after that and it would have slid off my face haha. Also, please ignore the half wet hair.

Invisible Zinc ESP facial Moisturizer
Invisible Zinc Silk Shield Foundation
Revlon Age Defying Concealer
Australis Creme Blush in Flirtatious Pink
SLA Loose Powder
Inglot Bronzer in #80
Rimmel Punchy Taupe Eyeshadow
Rimmel Professional Liquid Eyeliner
Benefit They're Real Mascara
Maybelline Brow Pencil in Dark Blonde
Australis Gloss Stick in Hoola Hoop

Manic (ure) Mondays Take Two

2011-11-21T05:51:00.000+10:00

Here is part two of my Maybelline Nail Polish swatches.

First up: Urban Lemon. This polish is a very bright lemon colour (funny that). Again, it was incredibly hard to get an even application with the polish, because it is so runny - I am sensing a theme here with these polishes. Again, as you can see by the picture you get a pretty patchy finish, similar to the other two polishes.

Second: Urban Orange. A really bright orange with a slight shimmer fleck through it. This one was a bit more true to how I like to apply nail polish - one thin coat and I am gone. I applied two for benefit of the camera however. This is a very pretty colour, however I am not a massive fan of shimmer, so I would prefer if this had more of a flat colour, similar to the other three that I have swatched. Formulation is a zillion times better for this polish however!

In an attempt to get a better image of the shimmer fleck I went outside. In return all you get is a picture of how messy the edges of my application were. I am so dodgy at nail polish application!

Something fun for your Saturday...

2011-11-19T17:10:00.001+10:00

Last night I went to a friends 21st birthday. The theme - 80's prom. It was amazing, everyone got really into it. Here is a few photos that Tim and I took in a little pre party photo shoot.
PS. Finding an 80's prom costume is not has hard as you might imagine... embarrassing haha

Illamasqua Pigment, Benefit Loose Powder in a Go Go Girl. David Jones Lipstick in Whisper Pink.

I am desperate for a dress like this...

2011-11-18T17:42:00.001+10:00

Does anyone know where I can get one? Because I don't have enough time to go shopping. Sad.

http://esmeandthelaneway.blogspot.com/2011/01/summer-dress-red-roses.html

Making me smile this week...

2011-11-18T07:32:00.000+10:00

I have discovered that Cocktail rings make the best key rings by far. Ring from Dotti.

Chocolate Coated Coffee Beans keeps the student awake...

Om nom nom + a mocha = chocolatey deliciousness

Mango Chicken Burgers at Firefly - Toowoomba

I told you that I was obsessed with keys, didn't I?

Visiting my brother - thanks Andy for making my holidays awesome!

I have worn this for the last few days straight. I absolutely love it. A real review will come shortly, I promise!