Summer Favourites

Yes, it's summer! And I've been waiting all year for summer... despite the fact that I'm kind of missing the winter chill but nevertheless, this means.. trips to the beach, endless days of sunshine (of course!), ice cold drinks and most importantly slapping on that sunscreen!

So... since summer in Sydney is getting pretty humid and sticky. Make up wise, I've been keeping it minimal and natural.. as usual! Here are a few things I use / carry along with me on the regular.

A Wrap Up of my Top 10 Favourites of 2012!

I know I'm not constant with monthly favourites (and I've tried!) but today I thought I'll do a quick (and impromptu) post before I head out tonight in time for NYE!

I could possibly say that these are my 'all time favourites' but I'll do a separate post on that sometime soon! For now this is just some of the favourite products which I enjoyed using throughout the year 2012!

So.. let's get to it! (Oh and excuse the dirty Real Technique's Brush I have there)

So first off, here I have a Real Techniques Blush Brush which I adore so much! (Also nearly everything from the Real Technique's Range). I love the RT brushes in general and I much prefer those brushes over the Sigma ones any day! I still use my Sigma ones but after discovering RT's I was hooked. 

No doubt I love my MAC products and here I have 4 MAC favourites. I'm madly in love with this blush and I shall consider it as my all time favourite blush (which I've recently discovered) and it's Peaches by MAC. It's the best blush out. If you own it and love it - It's pretty much self explanatory. It gives a nice subtle flush to your face and it's perfect with any look (I may say). I also own a few other MAC blushes (Like Margin, Peachykeen & Gingerly) and I could say that Gingerly comes second after Peaches. I like to use Gingerly as a contour from time to time. 

The Second MAC product here is the MAC Fix +, I love my Fix + and I have the full size (100ml) and the travel size (pictured here - 30mls) and I always spritz it on my face after powdering / setting my make up and also throughout the day to refresh my skin. I know many people often get confused with the whole concept of the Fix + and the thing is - it's more of a Make Up Fixer than a make up setter. Nevertheless, it does both jobs pretty well for me... (despite the claims and etc) 

While on the same topic, another MAC product I adore and use everyday is my MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Medium adn my MAC Studio Moisture Tint in Medium Plus. I use this everyday or otherwise (exclude the Studio Tint when I'm heading out and there's pictures bound to be taken). 

Studio Tint is my favourite everyday 'foundation'... technically it's a tinted moisturiser. To me this is kinda my 'BB cream' even though it's not labelled as one. I've been using it for the past year and a half and there's still less than a quarter of it left. It will probably be my first repurchase of a MAC product and I'm so glad I have it in my kit! 

As for the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish, it's amazing! All I can say is that I use it as a setting powder even though it's not translucent. I use a small pea size amount of foundation when I apply my make up and use the powder to even out the skin and also set it at the same time without looking cakey. 

The next item on the list is my Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. My mum gave me this not knowing that she could probably make use of an awesome product, but whatever! I used it a few times and didn't like it at first as I felt like it was just some ordinary moisturiser, but then after reading how it works (since it gives just unclear and minimal instructions) I did see why many people on Make Up Alley rave about how awesome this product was and what it actually does to your face. 

At first I used it as a primer but after a while after googling and all that crap. I found out that it's mainly used to even out wrinkles (which I don't have just yet), minimise pores...? and also minimise redness plus all over good stuff (which I cannot remember). 

I know that when I apply this product before foundation - it gets rid of the redness off my face and also provides a nice base for my foundation. My skin feels smooth and also felt like I've drank so much water my skin feels super hydrated. 

Despite it not being a primer, I use it like a primer from time to time. I love how it's like an eraser for my imperfections and allowing my foundation to do it's magic and make my face look flawless. I've gone through so much of this 30ml travel sized product that I'm ready to purchase the full 50ml sized product. 

Next thing is Seche Vite, after hearing the biggest hype about it in the bloggosphere I finally gave in and purchased this infamous top coat. I can say that it's the best top coat I've used - even though I have no tried Out the Door (which many people claim is just as good or even better than Seche Vite). Enough said, it dries so quickly (like I think around a minute or less) and also leaves my nails with this nice incredible shine. Best $7 spent on a top coat indeed. 

Three more products to go! Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner is also one of those liquid eyeliners that have been hyped about for sooooooo long, I did give in and I could say that I am highly impressed and that I'm going to purchase 2 more as back ups. It's stays on all day and also has a nice precision tip which makes applying your liquid eyeliner a breeze!

As for mascara, I cannot tell you how many mascaras I have and how many I need to get through. But by far, I do love my Australis Killer Curves mascara (Review Here) but than again I think my all time favourite would have to be the Tarte Lights Camera Lashes mascara. I have a travel size here, cause I bought it on eBay just to see how awesome everyone claimed it to be. It's freaking amazing and I've been loving it ever since. It gives decent volume and also length plus! despite having short stubby asian lashes I found that out of all the mascaras (ranging from Maybelline to Dior) this is the mascara that makes my asian lashes a teeny visible!

Lucky last, I know... another hyped up product from the bloggosphere!? But hey, I love this lip gloss to death and I am so glad I've purchased it. Thank god I bought it for $31 on StrawberryNet and also it's really rare to find this colour online now (since it's sold out everywhere *for those who want to purchase via Australia at that price). This gloss is amazing. I never thought this gloss from YSL would be so great, I use it everyday - work and going out. I also use it on top of most of my favourite lipsticks to give it an extra staying power. (Review Here)

I hope you enjoyed reading this lengthy post and sorry for the rush but hope this impromptu post keeps you occupied!

Oh, and before I go... Happy New Years everyone! It's been a lengthy and stressful year for me but also I'm excited to see what the new year unfolds! :D Stay safe everyone!

Love, J

Welcoming Spring with October Favourites

Apologies for the lack of posts because as usual, I've been hella busy! I've just got signed up for this new promotion at work (and I'm currently on 4 different marketing promotions at the moment) and it's crazy. Juggling Uni and also hours that are probably considered as full time work is no doubt stressing me out.

Anyways! So, I don't really do a monthly favourites post because it's just so hard for me to literally have a favourite every month... unless I was repeating myself.. Anyways, this month has been an exception I'm going to try and do a monthly favourites so if it's successful or so I'll keep posting monthly favourites from now on!

These are the products that I've been reaching lately ever since Spring started. Today I thought I'll do a post about it and also introduce just a few new products (which I've been meaning to review). I'm not going to go into too much detail because I'll be either saving them for a future review or they've already been reviewed.

It's quite a lot of favourites but hey, they had to be included in this post! I love love love each and every product and a few are just ones I've recently picked up as well... (at IMATS) 

First off the MAC Studio Moisture Tint SPF 15. Neglected for quite a while and thought I'll put it to use since my Garnier BB Cream (the new one for oily & combination skin) has broken me out with stubborn pimples. I bought this last year from the US and got it shipped to me via my cousin. Best Tinted Moisturiser I've used and it's so gooooood. Highly recommend it. 

MAC Blush in Peaches is something I purchased at IMATS this year, I paid the full AUS RRP which was $40 (I think) and I don't (really) regret paying the AUS price (considering I order my MAC via the US) but this time I didn't want to bother my cousin and trouble her sending items over and also I was in desperate need for a new blush and went away and splurged on this along with Margin which I don't really pick up that often. This blush gives me the nicest flush of colour and perfect for Work, Uni & Outings. (Review Here)

The Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent is AMAZING. So cheap and also so good. Doesn't leave a white mask like my old Australis Ready Set Go Translucent Powder and also actually keeps my oily combination skin matte for a good period of time (by all means at least 5-6 hours, but I wear this from 8am - 6pm and barely any sleekness on my face) it's amazing and I highly highly recommend it if you're looking for a cheap translucent powder. (Review Here)

The next item is something I really adore and also something I picked up at IMATS as well. Well, I picked up Shade 100 at IMATS and bought the Shade 45 at Inglot Bondi Junction. These Inglot Sleeks/Sleeks Cream's are amazing. I find that the Sleeks Cream has a slighter better longevity but it's not that drastically noticeable. The Shade 100 is a perfect dusty pink nude colour (An in-depth review will be posted soon! (SO, I don't wanna go into too much detail!) as for the Shade 45 which I purchased for $22 at Inglot. It's an amazing and highly pigmented orangey-coral colour that I've been searching for. Shade 100 which I purchased at IMATS was $15 by the way. Today, I purchased a whole heap of Inglot products so keep your eyes out for that Inglot Haul Post real soon!

Moving onto the other items! I have here are the Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara which I've previously reviewed ages ago here. This mascara provides me with lashes that my natural asian lashes don't display naturally... This was a travel size and I'm willing to purchase the full size when it runs out. To be honest it's the best mascara I've ever used and very hard to find. It's almost comparable to Maybelline's One by One but instead it's a much more drier formula. 

Australis Killer Curves Mascara* was a miss for me when I first received it, I didn't really like it that much and didn't see much of a difference. But now since using it and also probably cause of the fact that my lashes grew a tad bit longer (due to applying lash serums for like a month?) my lashes are lengthened and slightly curled up. I love it to bits and I can't wait to repurchase this mascara. I always apply this mascara first before my Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes Mascara and both work like a charm! Definitely a good purchase if you would like to get your hands on one, it's under $12 (from what I remember)

Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black is something I recently got this week, giving that I've had it for a couple of days it's more than enough for me to give my input to this mascara. I won't go in too much depth since I'll save it for a review later but so far, I actually do believe it lives up to it's hype. Let's see how it goes in a couple of weeks and a month later on. So far so good. 

Britney Spears Midnight Fantasy Travel Size Perfume, I've recently bought the gift set (with a body lotion, shower gel, travel perfume & 100ml bottle) of this fragrance because I absolutely love it. As much as I adore the Marc Jacobs Eau So Fresh Daisy, Dot and also my Miss Dior Cherie by Christian Dior. None of them have the longevity like  Midnight Fantasy.

Lately I've been annoyed with having all these expensive perfumes and then not getting a really good run on longevity unlike Midnight Fantasy. Despite the price tag for this (it's like so so cheap now) you don't need to spend so much on fragrances just to smell good! This was such a bargain grabbing the 100ml gift set for $49 at Priceline. It's going to be my everyday scent but it won't be my signature scent.  

Last but not least, Make Up Forever Aqua Lip in 1C this is a nice nude lip pencil which I use nearly everyday (when I remember to lip line or feel like it). It's a great multipurpose nude lipliner for any lipstick you're planning to wear. I'll be writing a review on it real soon as well. 

Hope you enjoyed by 'favourites' this month. This was more of a 'Welcoming' Spring Favourites post. Stay tuned for more 'favourites' posts in the future!

Love, J 

Products marked with '*' were sent by PR for consideration, all other items here were purchased with my own money and I was not reimbursed in anyway. For more details please see my disclosure policy. 

The Old & The New Essentials!

So i thought i'll show you guys my essentials! Been on the comp all day editing my blog design and also coming up with a different simplistic banner for my blog on photoshop and etc. So! I'll show you what i mainly use every time i leave the house and just my basic natural face make up! 

Most of the time when i leave the house i wear make up whether if it's little as just applying a light dusting of powder foundation just to even the skin tone and just a line of eyeliner & a swipe of mascara TO medium coverage with lip gloss and crisp liquid eyeliner along with blush (which is not pictured) especially for work! I do go all bare on my face on very rare occasions... :$

{ Overall these are just the things i need for a decent, simple and most importantly natural look }

I know some of them i've recently received and also have seen on my blog but here are my old ones and my new ones in comparison. I whacked out my DSLR and was like, pictures obviously look so much better on them and i haven't been playing with it for a while. It is bulky but who wouldn't love the quality of the pictures as opposed to my iphone. 

Notice the Old Essentials lighting is different because i just took this like 5 minutes ago, the other one i took yesterday during the day. 

NOTE: This isn't all my essentials these are my basics. I should've added the blush and eyeshadow (probably do so with an updated one but this will do) 

My Old Essentials - I still do use some that are pictured here :) 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid in NC25

Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder in Deep Natural

Maybelline Lash Stiletto in Black

Lancome Adaptive (in Beige Diaphane) / Teint Idole (Beige Nature) Samples

MAC Dazzleglass in Like Venus

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara in Blackest Black

Skin Food Auto Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner in Number 1 

NYX White Eyeliner in White Pearl

Nivea Lip Balm Repair & Protection

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC25

My overall two cents on these products:

Maybelline's Lash Stiletto: I really really hate the applicator for this. I highly do NOT recommend these for beginners. I discarded it ever since i got my MAC Pen Ultimate. The reason being, i'm not so good at liquid eyeliner and i find that the pen liquid eyeliners work best instead of the whole brush idea. Overall i hated it and i avoided using it at most and i use Maybelline's Gel Liner (which isn't pictured)

Revlon's Lash Luscious: It was a mediocre mascara but i've tried so many and this was just a meh - i only used it cause of the big brush and also the idea that it repairs lashes. 

Lancome Foundation Samples: I do like Lancome's foundation but i don't think they were for me. I used these time to time and i got them when i was looking at their foundations ages ago. 

Most of the products there i SHOULD'VE added to my new essentials and which is continue to use and still love are:

• NYX White Eyeliner - I use it to do the inner corners of my eyes and line the bottom and etc
• Skin Food Eyeliner - Best black waterproof eyeliner ever. I use it still to tightline my upper lash line
• MAC Dazzleglass in Like Venus - Enough said. I love it. 
• MAC Studio Fix & Concealer - I barely use it now... but i do use it from time to time. I feel like it's a bit heavy on my face but it provides good coverage
• Australis Fresh & Flawless - It's always a switch around with that and MAC's Studio Fix to set my powder it is also a go to foundation when i just wanna go ALL natural and simple and i just apply that on my face and i'm out. 

My New Essentials which i loveeeeeeee!

I say these are an improvement to my previous products and also most of them i love them to death and probably can't live without. 

But definitely these are the ones i've been reaching out to lately. 

Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara in Black

Skin Food Auto Pencil Waterproof Eyeliner in Number 1 

MAC Studio Moisture Tint in Medium Plus

MAC Penultimate Liquid Eyeliner in Rapidblack

MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC25

MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC25

MAC Dazzleglass in Like Venus

Urban Decay Eyelash Primer Potion

Christian Dior - Diorshow Iconic Mascara in 090

My overall two cents on these products:

I love them!!! Especially the MAC Studio Moisture Tint! It's a light weight tinted moisturiser and i love the smell of it and the feel on my face LOL. As for the mascara's i use two, cause i have annoying short and thin lashes, so to achieve the long and slightly thick eyelashes i use both mascaras. As you can see i'm a huge MAC fan and i'm madly in love with their cosmetics. I have had the best experience with them and i love how they match my face and their texture along with the way the products are packaged and how they suit so well to me. 

This shall be all for now! Can't wait to go out and have dinner with my beloved girlies  - Stef & Steph along with my boyfriend tomorrow!

Love, J

More Mail for me!

Sooooooo just a quick update (following on from my previous post from today) i thought i was going to add more to my previous post since it's the same day, but what the heeeeeell. I'll create another post! 

So... after already receiving my goodies from America & Hong Kong this afternoon. More arrived in the evening, which was weird cause i never thought Australia Post would post out more mail in the evening... probably cause of all the delay from those Christmas Holidays and all. But anyways my mum comes in from watering the garden in the evening and to hand me this mini package from America, once again!

Tarte -  Light Camera Lashes from Sephora!

Taken from the Tarte Cosmetics website....

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara is what we call a push-up bra for your lashes—a 4-in-1 (lengthening, curling, volumizing, and conditioning) dermatologist- and clinically-proven to increase the appearance of lash volume by 424% after applying giving dramatic, thick and sexy lashes. 

Bought a travel size which is probably the size of a sample mascara you get in gift packs and i got this on ebay for $7 when i won a bid not too long ago. I bought it a few days before Christmas Day and got it today! Sweet! I was going to post a before and after photo but my DSLR is out of battery and my iPhone camera isn't as great on focusing close on my eye (which kinda puts off my review for my Dior Mascara, but take my word!) It actually provides great results, i have very short and thin Asian lashes which just are dead straight, with a curler i can achieve nice lashes as well as some volume and length! Honestly my lashes looked like i applied natural false lashes. The product is also natural so that's a plus! It's as good as my Dior mascara!

Later, Lorenzo's mum mms'ed me her MAC Palette she's been eyeing on for ages! It finally arrived in the mail and she took these photos to show me. 

Enough said, this cost $370? Altogether?! 

She's also waiting for the CS Palette's she ordered for her and I :) 

Earlier that today Lorenzo & I helped ourselves to a slurpee from 7/11. 

THEY HAVE A NEW TROPICAL MANGO FLAVOUR! (Tell me i'm not the first person to find this out) 

It's sooooooooo lovely. Hehehe. 

I look forward to more packages i await from America! I bought waaaaaaay too much and the next thing on my list is Urban Decay's Naked2 Palette and maybe... the Sigma brush set... We'll see... 

Love, J.