Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Leaving on a jet plane

A non-beauty related post today.

Just wanted to give my readers a heads up, and let you know that blog posts/comments may be a little sporadic and all over the place for the next few months.

Because we are moving from Australia to Thailand.

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Yes. A big, exciting, pain-in-the-bee-hind move.

My husband has received an exciting work promotion, which sees us leaving our home country and heading overseas for a few years. So there's a lot to get done between now and when we move, which is at the end of June, two months away. It hasn't quite hit me yet, and we've only just started sorting through our house and packing it up.

In a few weeks time, the family and I will head over to Thailand on a fortnights holiday, with the intent of finding a house in which to live. Then it's back home again to finalize the move, and off we go!

So I'm guessing until we get settled, I may not be around here as much as I would like, although I will certainly try.

Things are about to get crazy busy.

Have you travelled to Thailand?
What did you think of it?
Any wise words of advice?!


Friday, April 26, 2013

Friday's Letters

I have absolutely, unashamedly stolen this from Lilit, who has said she stole it from Reese. So it's not my original idea but it's going to be so much fun!

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Dear Pinterest,
Thank you for giving me the most amazing ideas for my son's first birthday. Yes, I have it all entirely planned and ready to go and yes that's right, his birthday is not until June.

Dear skin,
Thank you for being so flawlessly perfect this week. You have been a pleasure to work with. Keep it up!

Dear Collette Accessories,
You really must stop selling such fabulous jewellery. I cannot walk past you without popping in just to "pick up something".

Dear Chobani Greek Yoghurt,
You have turned my life around. Your blood orange flavour has given me a new love for yoghurt, which I previously hated. Well done!

Dear my Best Girl,
Thank you for being such a wonderful help with your baby brother this week. Despite the fact that you give me a heart attack when you try to pick him up, I appreciate you helping him down from the couch every time he gets stuck.

Dear Essie,
My biggest thanks to you, for the most perfect cornflower blue nail polish I have ever discovered. Lapis of Luxury is the newest love of my life.


Tuesday, April 23, 2013

L'Oreal Glam Shine Volumizer Lip Gloss in Plum Addiction

Today, the kids and I decided to abandon all routine, and instead of taking my Little Miss to her Mini Maestros music class, we skipped it for the week and went shopping & out for babycinos and cake.

It was wonderful.

And because it was an impromptu outing, I kept the makeup on the down low, and wore this ::

L'Oreal Glam Shine Volumizer Lip Gloss in Plum Addiction

Honestly, more and more lately I've been reaching for lip glosses and stains, as opposed to my usual bright lippy favourites. I am planting more and more kisses on my kids little faces, which usually don't appreciate being smothered in bright coral lip marks {although my Girl insists I must have zero product on my lips at all if I want to kiss her, otherwise she wipes it off with her sleeve, taking my kiss with it...}.

 

And not so long ago, I bought a product I never usually would. A lip plumping gloss. I actually like my lips, and don't think they especially need to be enhanced. So really, I bought this gloss simply because I liked the colour. It's a soft plum with very subtle flecks of glitter, and it can be worn quite sheer, or thicker for a deeper colour. I usually take the sheer option, as I find it gets quite sticky if I apply too much.

 

The wand applicator has an almost spade-shaped flat tip, which actually makes applying the gloss quite easy.


Like most plumping glosses, it has that tingling feeling when you first apply it. It's not so bad though, and definitely not too intense. If it was, I probably wouldn't wear this again, as that feeling absolutely freaks me out. And as for the volumizing aspect of it, well honestly, I can't tell either way if it works.

Loving head bands/turbans for those days when my hair needs to be washed!

L'Oreal claims the product should last for six hours on the lips. It may, but I'm not sure if that's after consuming food and drink. It does last a good three for me though, before I'm left with a faint sticky feeling and not much colour to my lips.

Worn thicker today for a little more colour


And sheered out last week for a subtle shine

Overall, I like the product; it's quite long-lasting for a gloss, and the colour is beautiful. I just don't like that it's a bit sticky, I find I'm quite conscious of that when wearing it.

What are your thoughts on volumising lip glosses?
Do you steer clear of sticky glosses or do you prefer them because of their durability?

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

NOTD :: OPI Care To Danse?

I have a lot of nail polishes. In fact, I have an embarrassing amount. And yet yesterday, when I had an entire day of shopping to myself, I still bought more. Because I just could not walk out of the store without purchasing the OPI New York City Ballet petites set.


Ever since discovering my HG nail polish several weeks back, I am in love with sheer pastels, and how delicate and feminine I feel when wearing them. My hands just look softer, daintier, lovelier. And the polishes in this set also fit that bill. They are beautiful, sheer pastels that are subtle rather than opaque. And considering I have never - ever - finished a bottle of nail polish, this smaller 3.75ml size {as opposed to the regular OPI size of 15ml} is perfect.

 


The set contains four colours, and today I'm wearing Care To Danse?, which is a gorgeous sheer lilac. It does not reach opacity, as it is meant to be sheer, but in these photos I am wearing three coats, as I hoped to bring out the divine lilac as much as I could.


I have not yet worn the other colours in the set, but they are just as beautiful.

 

They are ::

My Pointe Exactly - a  sheer grey
Dont Touch My Tutu! - a sheer white
Pirouette My Whistle - a silver glitter polish with two different sized glitter particles

I am in love. This is a gorgeous nail polish set and I really can't say that enough!


What are your thoughts on sheer polish?
Would you wear it, or do you prefer the opaque look?

Saturday, April 13, 2013

FOTD :: My every day look lately

So by now, you probably know that I have two children; a 3.5 year old daughter and an almost-10-month-old little man. A very curious little man. A very wriggly little man. A very independent little man. And now that he's a smarty pants who pulls himself up on the couch and shuffles along at absolutely every given chance, I'm a mama who is definitely kept on her toes.


I coordinate my morning shower with his morning nap. Which means sometimes, I don't get to freshen up for the day until 9am. And sometimes, it also means that I have exactly 20 minutes to shower, do my hair and makeup, and find some clean clothes to throw on before he's decided that sleep is for babies, and being a big boy now, he's had enough.


Therefore, this past week, I've mastered a quick and easy look that I've worn every day, as it only takes me 10-15 minutes to put together. And while I feel I could do a lot better, I just don't have the time right now, so hopefully this doesn't look too bad when I step out in public!

 


Face :: 
Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation No. 52 Vanilla
MAC MSFN
Illamasqua Naked Rose Powder Blush

Eyes ::
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough As Taupe
Inglot eyeshadow #31
Too Faced Natural Eye Palette shadow in Fashion
Urban Decay Naked Palette shadow in Creep {used as eyeliner}
Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara

Lips ::
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling

Necklace as per THIS post

I might change up the lipstick/gloss each day, but the rest of the face stays pretty much the same. I must admit, I do look forward to weekends when Hubby is home, as I can take a little more time to put myself together and experiment with more of my products!



Do you have a certain look you throw together when your limited for time?

Monday, April 8, 2013

Just a little bit o' haulin'...

Today is the first day since before Easter that I haven't had to leave the house for something or other. We have been that busy. It's been crazy. So today, I called 'home day' and the only time I've set foot outside of my house is to put the bins out the front for garbage collection tomorrow.

And it has been bliss.

So of course, when I know I'm at home all day, and that no one is coming over {I am absolutely against people just 'popping in', and ask them to always contact me first! Luckily, I have a napping baby I can use as my excuse...} it's sloth day. And I whole-heartedly believe that everyone needs this once in a while. You know the kind of day :: you throw on your second-skin trackies, that faded tshirt you can't bear to part with, your hair gets thrown up into a messy bun on the top of your head, and your feet may or may not live in slippers for the day.

It's also absolutely a no makeup kind of day {which my skin will probably be thanking me for}.

So instead of showcasing a product, I thought I'd share the few bits and pieces I've purchased lately, and can't wait to try out!





Colette Accessories very recently had a 50% off jewellery sale for Colette members. I absolutely took advantage of this and purchased this gorgeous black chain necklace and the mustard coloured oval earrings. The turquoise and black necklace is actually from Equip Accessories, and I picked it up for six dollars on sale. I've not yet worn any of these but you can bet I will be shortly!



I am on an endless search for the perfect BB cream. I've tried several so far and nothing hits the spot. Then I saw this newly released version from Australian brand Chi Chi Cosmetics. It smells divine and I'm intrigued by the fact that it contains caviar extract.



My daughter and I had a Girls Day Out over the weekend, and I was excited to see that Top Shop has opened at Highpoint Shopping Centre. While I'm not in the market for any new clothes yet {still losing those last few pesky kilos from pregnancy! Yes, almost 10 months later. Disgraceful, I know..} I was eager to try out something from their cosmetics range. I have an obsession with purple lipstick right now {post coming up on that soon} and when I saw this beauty, I snatched it up quick.

The L'Oreal Color Infallible is just another to add to my collection; I love them so much, they are a dream to apply and they actually last all day long on me. This colour is Golden Mahogany, and it's a rusty red/brown type shade. Perfect for Autumn!

Lastly, I finally purchased my first Ciate nail polish. I had been wanting to try the brand out forever now. I was in Kit Cosmetics and this fabulous shade caught my eye. I ummed and ahhed for a while, almost gravitating towards the prettier mints and corals, but in the end I purchased it because I know myself -- I'd make the 50 minute trip back again the next day once I regretted not buying it. The shade is called Oil Slick and it really does look like spilled petrol. It's fabulous.


I'll have reviews and opinions coming up on a few of these products once I wear them and try them out for a while.

In the meantime, my lazy self is going to settle on the couch with a cappuccino and a magazine with the baby is napping and my Girl is playing with her Polly Pockets.

Have you tried any of these products?
Which review would you be interested in seeing first?

Thursday, April 4, 2013

NOTD :: Illamasqua 'Freckle'

If you asked me my favourite colour, I couldn't limit it to just one. Nor would I choose the more, say, common colours.

I love Autumn. So I loved muted tones. Mustard, navy, burnt orange, maroon, grey, chocolate. Actually, pretty much any variation of the above. Oh, how I love these colours.

So when I purchased the Illasmasqua nail polish in Speckle from their I'mperfection range, I almost leaned towards Freckle, it being a member of the brown family. I suppose what finally decided for me, was that I read numerous reviews of Freckle, and not many people seemed to like it.

 

However, it still played on my mind. And after applying and wearing it's sister shade Speckle, I loved it so much that I jumped onto Myer online and purchased Freckle straight away.

 

And it's finally mine.

And I love it as much as I thought I would.

And I simply cannot fathom why people would dislike this beautiful nude-beige beauty.


Freckle contains gorgeous flecks of black glitter amongst a beautiful tan base colour. It is perfection.


It was opaque in just two coats, and whilst I applied it directly over a clear base coat, I think the colour would become more prominent if I used a cream coloured base instead. 



The speckled polish comes in five colours -- Freckle, Speckle, Fragile, Mottle, Scarce -- and I think I'm going to have to try to restrain myself from purchasing the rest of the collection. 


Have you tried any of the speckled polish?
Is it something you would wear?