Collective Haul: Melbourne

Melbourne has been awesome for shopping with not so awesome weather, it has sucked sooooo bad that I miss Sydney. 

In a nutshell (if I can put it that way)?! It has been nothing but constant shopping from dawn to dusk (not literally though), visiting family and making new friends, my clubbing/nightlife experience at Melbourne (I gotta say Sydney has a better nightlife) and also enjoying some home cooking with the family. 

If I could rant about Melbourne I shall say... 

• People were so right about how rude the service is at MAC, Mecca (especially) and also other make-up stands in Myers/David Jones. Let alone the clothing boutiques and all - but could I also say how they can possibly be selective when it comes to customers ie. because I'm Asian? Not racial. 

• The weather sucks so bad, it's heaps cold and I just despise rain... meh. 

• I spend so much on your stupid MyKi (Melbourne's public transport system thingo-ma-bob for fares) but kudos to your idea because Sydney could use something like that.

• The nightclub here have the most TRASHIEST girls. Sydney's classier. (Y)

Anywho enough rant and down to what is the whole purpose of this post... (You might see repeats of items in photos - which wasn't suppose to happen but yeah...)

 

My Forever21 package arrived on my doorstep luckily before I was heading out the airport so I grabbed 3 of the items from my package. These were: The Blazer, Blue Black Jeans (not pictured) and the Love & Beauty Glitter Polish. Back at home I left this blue blouse and also a pair of high waisted denim shorts which I didn't want to add to my luggage.

It was a gloomy wet day as I headed off to Melbourne, surprisingly my flight with Tiger Airways was alright. I caught the Skybus like a lost tourist and made my way to Southern Cross Station to meet up with my cousin.

The next day, I went shopping and....shopping is ALWAYS a must here when I'm in Melbourne. For some odd reason we have similar things but we do not have a wider selection on items. 

I visited the infamous Topshop and to my knowledge it was somewhat just a blown up version of Dotti and a step-up of Valleygirl and kinda like Sportsgirl, so I'm not missing out on much honestly. Nothing so so interesting to be honest - besides having the Topshop label and the idea that there also Topman there all in one store. Disappointing enough, I bought two lippies and blush which I am adoring and wearing everyday. Someone told me that MAC makes Topshop Lippies and I think whoever told me that was so right. Their quality is sooooo good and I'm so glad I picked them up. (A full in depth review on those items later). 

I also popped into Steve Madden where I picked up some really cute black heels for just going out and formal events. Popped into this random boutique which stocks MinkPink clothes and got myself this awesome neon orangey collared top (which i'm admiring so so much right now). Grabbed myself a pair of 'Grab' denim jeans (in Black) was $120 down to $50 - SCORE! I always 'grab' something from Grab EVERYTIME I'm here in Melbourne and they're awesome quality for jeans. Also pictured is this collared necklace I got from eBay which I got it sent to my cousins and it was $5, not awesome quality but still decent. It broke & I had to fix up the hinge but all good. 

Also, visited Mecca which is nearly on every corner here in Melbourne and also the MAC Pro Store on Chapel.  I also went to some awesome places to eat the other day when I was Op Shopping at Brunswick and grabbed some goodies like Sportsgirl Nail Polish in Smoke (which I'll do a in-depth review later), The Face Shop Nail Polish in this mysterious bluey sparkly colour which I will review soon as well, A Typo iPad Case which can also be used as a clutch (Snagged it for $5!) and some jewellery from Aldo & Colette.

In all seriousness - Chadstone, Chapel Street and probably the DFO's (South Wharf especially) is a must stop pit stop for me. I always find myself ending up at these places in Melbourne. Let alone, finding items which I would never come close to finding back at Sydney. 

I'm so glad I got to blog and access to a laptop because I only brought my iPad. Gahhhhhhhh!! I can't wait to get back home to Sydney and blog properly and get back to work (because I'm broke as a bitch right now). There's so much to write about and so little time so I'm gonna do the best I can for now. More photos up later because I gotta watermark them and right now the watermarking is so hideous. Keep your eyes out for my reviews on the beauty items I purchased!

Love, J

Sportsgirl Pout About It Lipsticks

Loving these new lippies I got from Sportsgirl today! It's the third (1st: Lip Pencils, 2nd: Eyeshadow Crayon) beauty item I've purchased from Sportsgirl and probably my favourite! 

Swatched on the top is Fruit Tingle & on the bottom is All About You.

In my opinion these make great dupes for MAC lippies. Fruit Tingle is a near to true dupe for MAC's Ravishing which I was considering of getting. It didn't hit me until I asked some girls on orange lippie recommendations on Facebook. To only realise MAC's Ravishing and Fruit Tingle are so so alike!

I heard Sportsgirl's All About You is somewhat like MAC's Creme De Nude. 

It's awesome knowing that you unexpectedly fine MAC Dupes! 

What I love about this lippie is that the colour is so vibrant and so true! It's nice and flattering and perfect for nearly every skin tone!

The only thing I don't like is that it is drying on the lips. It would help if you prime with some lip balm before hand or after to keep you lips super hydrated and moisturised. 

For $9.95 you can get these lippies from Sportsgirl (unfortunately this is only available in Australia)

I'm on the search to purchase my next MAC Lippie, thinking of getting something different than what I currently have. Anyone can recommend me some nice reds or oranges? Even so light lustre pinks from MAC?! Love to hear your responses! 

Love, J  

Sportsgirl Eyeshadow Crayon & Pout Line Lip Liner.

So before I start writing this post... I've recently whacked out my DSLR which has been sitting on my shelf for a while. I know many bloggers love HD quality photos and I've been using my iPhone for a while since it's so convienient for me to point & shoot and upload via the blogger app. So since I want to revamp my posts a bit. I'm probably going to start shooting and editing my photos from now on. This will look so much better than my point & shoot shots. :) So hope you enjoy the new photo improvements along with my watermarked images!

So today I headed to Sportsgirl and instantly I raced to the Beauty Section (like usual). And had a look any the lippies, scrubs and etc. I tried on this Eyeshadow Crayon and I wasn't too fond of crayon eyeshadows ever. After applying this around the corners of my eyes and instantly loving the highlighting/brightening effect it has on the inner corners of my eyes, I realised this is an instant pop of a neutral nude shimmery colour that complements my 'natural' everyday make up.

I'm used to using my Naked2 Palette and applying Half-Baked & Bootycall but I realise that near the end of the day or not even the end probably a few hours my inner corner of my eyes tend to fade the colour away (I think it's probably cause I don't apply enough UDPP in that area?).

I thought this crayon would be so handy for a retouch as well as also to carry around in my make up bag, it's a great universal colour which I'm loving. This Sportsgirl Smokin' Hot Eyeshadow Crayon in Nude double up's as a Eyeshadow Base as well - so it hits all the right points!

I also purchased Sportgirl's Pout Line Lip Liner in Beauty Queen. I previously own a Pout Liner in All About You, in which I still use today. This colour in Beauty Queen to me, seems like a barbie pink colour. I like it because I don't have many bright pinks in my lippie collection. 

All About You Lip Liner, Beauty Queen Lip Liner & Smokin Hot Eyeshadow Crayon. 

Swatches of Beauty Queen, All About You, The Smokin Hot Eyeshadow Crayon (All 1 Swatches) 

Obviously for the eyeshadow apply 2 swatches or more to achieve a more shimmery consistancy. 

Overall, Sportsgirl beauty products never fail me. I really enjoy purchasing them and also love the quality and the price I pay for them. 

Love, J

Disclaimer: These items are purchased by me, out of my own pocket. I was not reimbursed or paid in any monetary way. See the disclosure policy for more info. 

Sportsgirl Goodies!

This is my first time purchasing anything from Sportsgirl, to be honest. I don't think I've ever bought any clothes there or anything in particular from memory. But of course, the beauty section of Sportsgirl has been talked about and I just wanted to check out their products! On Saturday, I stumbled across Sportsgirl and I had to get these two items. I've been eyeing them for a while and decided to give in and grab them! I also bumped into Amanda, who works at Sportsgirl! She also served me and gave me a discount! So thanks so much Amanda and also meeting her!! :) 

So here I have Sportsgirl Scrub Up Body Exfoliator in Vanilla and Sportsgirl's Pout Line Lip Liner in 'All About You'. 

Don't get me wrong, Sportsgirl's beauty products are preeeeeeetty good! People may often have their doubts of products/brands about fashion retailers having their own beauty line and the fact that it won't deliver the same quality like mainstream products. 

I think Sportsgirl's beauty products live up to their standard and just as good as any other mainstream products out there! I remember buying nail polish from Supre and it was horrible. But unlike these products I bought from Sportsgirl - I am madly in love with them!

Why? So earlier, I tried the Scrub Up Exfoliator in the shower. Boy, it was awesome! It makes my skin so smooth and it smells fantastic! I can't wait to see the long term effects using this and it's so awesome that it's contains Macadamia Oil. 

Macadamia is an excellent protective oil that protects and heals skin blemishes such as scars, sunburn, minor wounds and other irritations. The high absorption rate gives greater moisturising properties - awesome right?! I also use Macadamia Oil Shampoo which I've been using for 3 Months (links to my post about Macadamia Oil Shampoo) and the smell and the texture of my hair is awesome! 

The Pout Liner is awesome! It's my very first Lip Liner and I thought i'll give it a try. I am so glad i chose this colour because it is freaking awesome! It's the perfect nude I've been searching for and also I can use this liner with any other lipstick and just disguise it - without using separate lip liner colour!

I love the colour and I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE. I'm thinking of getting the lipstick because I'm so madly in love with it. I love how this lipliner has a brush so it makes application on the lips easier and also you can wear it alone as a long-lasting lipstick (I suppose). 

Have you used any Sportsgirl products? And which ones do you love/recommend?! I would love to hear your comments about it and I will gladly read every single one of them! Til later!

Love, J.

Saturday Therapy.

So yesterday, I went to Parramatta Westfields with the boyfriend just to get my new jeans and also for him to get new shoes! I needed some retail therapy after a long week of studiousness from Uni. And also... since my two pairs of jeans decided to make holes in them and decided to ruin themselves LOL - I needed new ones asap. 

I grabbed these new Dr Denim Arlene High Waisted Skinnies from General Pants Co. just for everyday wear to Uni / Outings and whatnot. After trying on many Wrangler, Lee's, Levi's and other miscellaneous jeans I resulted to this! Happy I got a decent pair of jeans and hopefully these will last a very long time considering I paid $149 for this pair. To be honest, I think it's the most expensive piece of clothing (Yes, I guess you can say I'm a savvy shopper... LOL) I have besides my dress from Seduce and my Nike Sneakers. But I'm one happy camper now! 

Also I grabbed some goodies from Sportsgirl in which I will do a seperate post about the two! So excited to share with you guys about Sportsgirl's Beauty Products! 

So today, wasn't all just shopping and as usual. I didn't come home with heaps and heaps of bags. Just two, the jeans and the beauty goods from Sportsgirl. Though Lorenzo & I went through so many clothing stores and also grabbed some new Lacoste shoes for him as well. We went through various shops just browsing through clothes (for myself) to find everything disappointing and everything in my size is gone. 

We also popped into Toys R Us (ew my old place of work) and just had a browse around at Toys and immaturely played with Toys and also found some interesting things in there as well... 

I couldn't help but laugh at this boy in whatever suit he is wearing... I think it looks pretty ridiculous LOL. Oh poor kid... and guys!!! Look what I found! Sea Monkeys!!! Yeah, probably I just found out they still sell these but when I was working at Toys R Us last year, these were nowhere to be found! It was only $19.99 at Toys R Us and Lorenzo was considering of getting them - I told him not to. HAHAHA I'm sucha pooper. So after browsing around and all we had lunch at Sushi Bay and it was pretty mediocre. I love the Sushi Train (Takumi) at Market City - That place has Agedashi Tofu and Okonomiyaki!! When Sushi Bay doesn't and to be anymore asian, they're a bit pricey... Okay various prices... but the one at Takumi is only $2.50 a dish (with a student card, $3 without) and they have a better variety!!! Anywho, I ordered Tempura Udon which was $8.50... I mean I didn't expect a WOW from the Udon but meh, I think I would've settled off with a bowl of Pho from Cabramatta instead but whatever! I still liked it. 

Lorenzo and I just gave in to various Sushi Dishes on the conveyer belt and you know the typical. 

After we treated ourselves to Mother's Crepe Green Tea Smoothies!

The best Green Tea Smoothie in Western Sydney! Hahaha! Only because it's the only one I can find in Western Sydney (besides the city of course!) but there's also Mothers Crepe in George St at the City as well. 

It's soooooo good! I even got my Uni friend into it as well! 

Be back soon!

Love, J.