Winter Favourites ❅

Surprisingly Winter in my favourite season of the year! And since we are almost finished Winter here in Australia, I thought that I'd share what have been my favourite products these past months.

From Left -> Right
❅Burt's Bees Lip balm with Mango
❅Mac Eyeshadow 'Blackberry'
❅OPI Nail Polish 'Red my fortune cookie'
❅Sephora Blush 'Rose Petal'
❅Summer Tan 'Self Action Tan'
❅Milk Ultra Light Moisturiser
❅Mac Cremesheen Lipstick 'Cremecup'
❅Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 'N.4)










❅Burt's Bees Lip balm with Mango
For winter lip balm is defiantly an essential! That is because no one wants to be walking around with dry chapped lips. I've tried many brands of lip balms, but nothing has lived up to the Burt's Bees brand. These lip balms are super nourishing, as well as being 100% natural.

❅Mac Eyeshadow 'Blackberry'
This eyeshadow comes close to my all time favourite which is Esteé Lauder's 'Raisins', although this colour is slightly darker and more matte. Which is great for winter because it isn't a super heavy dark eyeshadow, but gives more of an effect compared to any lighter colour which I would use in Summer.

❅OPI Nail Polish 'Red my fortune cookie'
OPI is defiantly my favourite brand of nail polish. They all have a super smooth application will the help of their long smooth brushes, which helps get closer to the cuticle without flooding the nail plate.

❅Sephora Blush 'Rose Petal'
I got this blush while I was in America because it was reasonable priced, as well as that I wanted something with the Sephora brand on it since we don't have this shop in Australia. This blush is perfect for adding as little, or as much colour you want to your cheeks. It also isn't shiny which means you can use it on a every day basis, without looking too dressed up.

❅Summer Tan 'Self Action Tan'
Since we don't see much of the sun in winter, it's always good to have a tan option on stand-by if you want to look less pale when going out somewhere special. I've gone for the dark colour, although it can be as light or dark as you want. It just depends on how much you put on yourself, as it is used as a gradual moisturiser. Although I would defiantly recommend using a tanning glove while applying this product as it isn't very fun to have orange hands!

❅Milk Ultra Light Moisturiser
If you get super dry skin either all over your face, or just in patches then this is the moisturiser for you! Every now and then I come across a day where my skin is just dry and dehydrated for no reason, and that is when this product saves the day. It even has a great smell which is just a bonus!

❅Mac Cremesheen Lipstick 'Cremecup'
I usually tend to stick to lip crayons instead of lipstick, but there is just something about Mac lipsticks that I can't resist. This colour is quite neutral which means it can be used on a every day basis, but it adds a bit of colour, (which especially helps when you are sick, as lipstick always makes you look 10 times better).

❅Nars Sheer Glow Foundation 'N.4 Deauville'
In Winter a lot of people tend to get colds, which is when a bit of colour added to the face does wonders for your self-esteem. This foundation isn't too shiny which is great for winter as it looks natural. Although don't forget the primer underneath!

My Travel Essentials ✈

Carry On Essentials

Lucky me is going to America in less than 3 weeks and I can't think of anything better to blog about! I'll begin with what is the most essential, and I think that is the carry on necessities. As some of you may know, America is quite strict on the liquids rule, which makes it even more difficult to pack! All liquids have to be less than 100ml, and in a clear quart-sized bag. I've packed a few moisturisers because the plane air can be very drying, which I have been told since I've never been on a international long haul flight. Which mine is 14+ hours! Also in there is a toothbrush, toothpaste & dental floss because you never know when you are going to get food stuck in your teeth, or you just want to freshen up before landing. Everything else I've packed is quite self explanatory.

Contents:
✈Dettol hand sanitiser
✈Batiste dry shampoo
✈Mac brush cleanser
✈Bioderma
✈Toothpaste 
✈Toothbrush
✈Burts bees moisteriser
✈Lip balm
✈Face moisturiser
✈Wotnot face wipes
✈Dental Floss

My Checked Luggage Essentials -Make Up

Pretty much all of my make up is in my checked luggage, simply because if I lost it I could live without it, and to just make my carry on much lighter while I am traveling throughout the airports. In my luggage I've tried not to bring double ups, or products which I hope to be buying overseas to save me more space to buy more things!

✈Rimmel London match perfection 'Soft beige' 
✈Rimmel stay matte powder
✈Bourjois happy light concealer
✈Mary Kay blush. 'Pink pearl'

I decided that I won't be packing my favourite Mac foundation because if I lost that I would be quite annoyed. So instead I'm using my second favourite. It gives a great coverage, and a natural looking glow afterwards. Powder is of course to create a more matte look, blush because a bit of colour is great. And concealer.. because that is the true finishing touch.

 ✈Revlon lip butter  'Sweet Tart'                                                                  ✈Bourjois Colour Boost x4

✈Rimmel Apocalips the colour 'Luna'                                                         ✈Peach          ✈Red Sunrise

✈Kate Moss Lipstick '05'                                                                            ✈Fuchsia        ✈Orange Punch

✈Tanya Burr Lipgloss in the colour 
'Picnic in the Park'
✈Bourjous 3D Effect Lipgloss '51'

✈Loreal Magic Blur.
I used this product as a make up primer. It works excellently and makes my skin incredibly smooth throughout the whole day.

 ✈Designer Brands Eyeliner 'Black'
✈Maybelline Mastershape Brow Brush 'Deep brown'
✈Mac eyeshadow in 'Charcoal Brown'

✈Maybelline 'The Falsies'
✈A spare mascara. Maybelline 'One by One'








✈Glam Eyes Eyelash Glue
✈Lash Republic False Eyelashes.

I'm brining these just in case I go out somewhere nice for dinner, because it's great to get dressed up every now and then. Especially at Las Vegas!

✈ Real Techniques 'Expert Face Brush'
✈RT Buffing Brush
✈RT Detail Brush
✈Mac 217 Blending brush
✈Mac 208 Eyebrow brush

✈Eyelash Curler
✈Tweezers
✈Brow Brush









I'll be sure to keep you all updated on how my travels are going along the way as of course I will be bringing my laptop. I hope this in a way helps you decide on what to bring if you are planning on travelling any time soon! Xx

January BellaBox Arrival

Now it has come to the end of January, it's time to share what I got in this months Bellabox. I think that it is something great to look forward to each month being able to try new products and samples. This month Bellabox has said that this box is all about 'New Year, Small Changes'. It is always so exciting opening a new Bellabox .. but unfortunately this month my tan leaked all over my products so they all needed to be wiped down as soon as possible. Which was a bummer because it means I have less of the product and I like to keep things in there original packages without damage. (That is why the Avéne cream is brown on the corner.)

Background; Yankee Candle in 'Christmas Cookie'.

Palmolive Ayurituel Energy Shower Gel 'Ginger & Sandalwood' 50ml
This shower gel has a strong sweet smell to it which just seems perfect for relaxing. I can't say too much about this product though because it just seems to do the job just as same as all the other shower gels I own.

Phytomer Hydra Original Thirst Melting Cream
This moisturiser applied nice and easy to my face, not oily and it didn't smell bad, like some moisturisers do. The only minus is that the sample container held almost nothing, so if I'm lucky I might be able to scrap another use out of it.. and that in stores a small pot of this stuff is worth $91! Wow!

INM Australia Out the Door Topcoat
This nail polish is great because I have always kept on forgetting to buy a top coat! It seems to do the job good and that is just about all I can say.

Avéne Hydrance Optimale Rich Hydrating Cream
After every time I cleanse and tone my face this has been what I have been using for the past couple of weeks. It has really helped my skin not be as dry as before and now I only have to use it just about every second day or so to keep my face moisterised.

Tuscan Tan 'Wash Off' Bronzing Mouse
I was extremely disappointed when I opened my Bellabox and I had found that this tan decided to leak over pretty much everything in my box! So this made me worried to use it. I tried a small amount on my arm with this tan and it didn't streak or smell strong. It washed off quite easily as well which I was quite impressed with.

Model Co Fat Lash Volumising Mascara
I have to admit that the container the mascara lives in isn't the best I've had. It feels weak and just too large for how much it actually contains. But on the other hand I guess it does the job as it should and I can't complain too much about it.

Wotnot Facial Wipes x5
I tried this facial wipes the other night to remove my make-up and I can say I'm not super impressed. I think they worked, but they left my face feeling oily and like I had left foundation behind. All though these do seem like a good idea to use to freshen up after the gym, but they are something that I'm not really interested in since I'd rather give my face a wet wash with water and cleanser.

Tips for Online Shopping ❤

Hey there! Today I'm going to be posting about the wonderful world of online shopping. Also known as some good old retail therapy. Lately I've been purchasing a bunch of things online so I thought it would be great to post some tips for the people who aren't too confident in online shopping.

❤Check that you are on the official site. This means doing your research, and making sure the website has everything valid on it. For example; Picture Logo, legit web address etc
❤Use a secure method of payment where possible. For example Australia uses a secure site called Paypal on ebay and online stores. This helps your bank details stay private and not shared.
❤Check the postage price of your item. It may not end up being cheaper than in stores.
❤When do you need it by? It may seem sooner if you buy it online today then waiting to go to the shops in a couple of days, but you usually don't. Postage and processing takes time.
❤Check your online transactions through your bank. You have to make sure they only took out the correct amount and nothing more. No one wants to be double charged!
❤Double check all your sizes. If you are ordering from overseas you may need to convert sizes.
❤Check the websites return policy. Just in case those shoes were too small or that top fell apart. Make sure that the store are willing to accept those items back and a return of the money.
❤Official or Officially Fake? Some sites, like ebay the sellers are individuals and not necessarily a shop. This means that they can say that an item is real, but it isn't and you can't find out until you receive it and they can back out from giving you a return. This could be anything from make up to clothing brands. This is why I tend to stick to the official sites.

I hope that all this writing hasn't scared you off from online shopping, but given you that confidence to go and give it a whirl. You could find your next favourite thing!

2013 Beauty Favourites!

Why hello there! I've finally had some free time so I've decided to post about my 2013 beauty favourites. 2013 has been the year which I've probably spent a bit too much on beauty products.. but sometimes it's worth spending that bit extra for the better quality. Surprisingly I haven't included a lot of High street purchases which just shows sometimes it's better to get the drugstore product instead and save that bit of money for future purchases.  For my favourites I have tried to include something from each part of the beauty range so here below is a photo of everything!

From Left to Right;

Maybelline Baby Lips in 'Smoothing Cherry'

I don't have much to say about this lip balm since just about everyone has one, but that it truly is worth the $4 it is. I had one prior to this one but it magically disappeared (just like bobby pins do) and I can not remember the name but as soon as I lost it I got another one as soon as I could!

Maybelline Volume Express Mascara 'The Falsies'

After using this mascara I haven't been daring enough to try another. Some say when somethings good, why change it? Which is kind of what I've been contemplating for a while now. I've always known that Maybelline is a good brand of Mascara.(Before this one I used to use the 'One by One' and I found that one to be just as good.) This mascara gives great volume and length, the only problem I found that if you add a bit too much it does go slightly lumpy which is not great. But at least it is easy to remove and doesn't seem to wreck any of my lashes as of yet!

Bourjois 3D Effect Gloss in 'Number 51'

Last year one of my closet friends went on a trip to Paris and brought me back this amazing lip gloss! I have seen it before in Priceline but never this colour, and I wasn't quite sure whether I would like it or not so I never actually got around to buying it. Not only does it shine and last for a while, it actually moisturises at the same time! Hitting two birds with one stone or what!

Bourjois Colour Boost in 'Peach on the Beach' & 'Red Sunrise'

These were another thing which my friend got for me while she was in France, since everything is so delayed when coming to Australia. So pretty much when something new comes out here it is already not new anymore in London or America! These are pretty much a mix between a lipstick and a lip balm. Which just reminds me of a crayon! I love the colours in all of them (I have all four) and they all just remain in place for majority of the day. Since no one wants to be reapplying every hour or so. We'll at least I know I don't like to. 

Esteé Lauder Pure Colour Eyeshadow Duo in 'Raisins' 

Getting new eyeshadows just excites me, which is why I may have a few too many! It is hard to pick my favourite but out of all it would defiantly be this duo. The plain peach colour is great as the base colour and I use raisins as my outside corners and then I blend it in. These two colours are great for everyday wear, but even sometimes I get a bit lazy in the morning and just use the peach colour by itself. The colour can be as light as you want, or darker if you add more, and the colour doesn't fade or move during the day.

Mac Studio Finish Concealer in 'NW20'

At first I can say I wondered why I spent $30 on this concealer! I then left it on my shelf for a bit and ignored it, but then one day I decided to give it a go again. I found out that this concealer doesn't work great under the eyes (if you have dark spots like me), but it actually works great on blemishes and in any red areas. Which my chin gets quite red every so often so I put this on under my foundation and it works a treat. Even on some days when I feel my under eye concealer doesn't cover as much as I hoped, I place a bit of this concealer just on the darker places near my nose to brighten up my face.

Mac Eyeshadow in 'Charcoal Brown' & Mac 266 Brush

This colour is what I've found to be just perfect for my eyebrows. I've tried a few other colours but out of all I just keep on coming back to this colour. This eyeshadow is matte which means there are no sparkles, since sparkly eyebrows would look a bit out of the ordinary. I apply this colour with my small angled Mac 266 brush which is much easier to apply with then a big brush, since that would apply too much colour to my eyebrows. I just love Mac brushes since they are incredible soft.. but super expensive!

Rimmel London Nail Polish in '025 Strawberry Fizz'

This nail polish I think is just a great colour for Summer! It stands out and even smells great, like a mix between strawberries and soda. It applies evenly and dries quickly, which is great for me because as soon as I paint my nails I think of things to do..and I usually mess my nails up!

Rimmel London Matte Pressed Powder in '001 Transparent'

This Powder just works a treat to set my liquid foundation. It doesn't alter the colour of my foundation, hence the transparent colour and just keeps everything where it should be. It helps to stop the unwanted shine, mainly on my 'T zone'. The only downer is that the packaging isn't the best, since there is no secure lid or mirror. But at least the lid doesn't fall off as much as what it could.

Real Techniques 'Expert Face Brush'

Out of all my brushes this one is just perfect for liquid foundation and my favourite! It distributes an even amount of foundation throughout my face and the coverage is buildable to where you may need a bit more. The brush head is incredible soft (as well as all of the real techniques brushes), and doesn't leave any unwanted brush strands behind.

Thank you for reading and I hope you have a great rest of your week! Feel free to shoot me a comment if there are any certain make-up products you would like to recommend or want me to review! Or even comment saying what your favourite product of 2013 is! 

Delicious Caramel Slice Recipe

First of all Happy New Year Guys! I Hope you have had an amazing begin to 2014!
Today I was stuck at home all day so I decided to make a little treat, since this does take most of the day to make. Caramel Slice is my favourite thing to cook(except the cleaning part!) so this is a great opportunity to share with you my favourite and most delicious recipe!

You Will Need;

- 1c Plain Flour
- 1/2 c Brown Sugar
- 1/2 c Shredded Coconut
- 125g Butter or Margarine

- 250g Condensed Milk
- 2tbs Golden Syrup
- 60g Butter or Margarine

- 125g Cooking Chocolate
- 60g Copha

Base Layer

1. Pre-heat your oven to 180 Degrees (Fan-forced Oven) and Grease up a rectangle  tray.

2. Place the flour, sugar, coconut, butter into a mixing bowl & rub the butter in with your fingers.

3. When the base turns to crumbs, sprinkle it evenly in the tray and push it in making it firm.

4. Put into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until Golden. (Mine usually only takes 15 minutes.)

Caramel Layer
1. Melt 60g of butter in a small saucepan then place in the golden syrup and condensed milk.
2. Whisk on a medium heat for about 8 minutes or until a darker golden colour. At first it looks like it
can not possible turn into carmel but it does thicken at about 5 minutes into whisking.
3. Pour over your cool base and refrigerate for 3-4 hours. (This is when you just want to eat it already!)

<--First Putting everything in




 After Whisking for 6+ minutes -->





Chocolate Layer 
1. Melt the chocolate and copha over boiling water mixing frequently.
(Make sure it doesn't burn!)
2. Pour the melted chocolate over your carmel layer and refrigerate until hard, but soft enough to cut.
3. The best step of all .... Eating time! And of course... time to clean the mess up!








And here it is, the finished product!

Unfortunetly during the melting process of the chocolate it decided to not un-lumpify which doesn't usually happen. But other than that these slices turned out great!

All rights go towards taste.com.au on this recipe! No stealing intended :)




I hope this inspires you to do some cooking of your own! And let me know if you would like me to try any of your own recipes and to review them as well. Talk to you all soon! Xx

Christmas Presents & Boxing Day Bargains!

Hi there! So Christmas has already come and gone as well with the rest of this year!( It's almost 2014 how crazy!) So I thought I would post a post about what I received for Christmas this year and what I brought on Boxing Day sales. So here is a quick snap of everything;

Kate Hill handbag 
Lush Bag of Goodies
Westfield Gift Voucher
Harrison School Shoes
Valleygirl Singlet
Bardot Plain White Top
Bioderma Solution
Esteé Lauder Colour Portfolio
Kikki K 2014 Diary
Cotton On Batwinged Cardigan
Afl Membership(Richmond)









My Christmas Presents;

Esteé Lauder Colour Portfolio This was a real surprise gift from my mum. She knows how much I love beauty products and this has just about everything I need. This has 30 Eyeshadows, 3 Blushes, 15 lip colours, a double eyeliner, 2 lip glosses and even a bronzer! It comes in a cute fold up palette which is super handy to carry around to ether make-up jobs or even just sleepovers. I haven't used this at all yet but I am super keen to as soon as possible. I already own a Esteé Lauder eyeshadow duo in 'Raisins' and it defiantly lives up to its expectations so this will just extend my collection.

Cotton On Bat-winged Cardigan This is one of those great cardigans which you can't really walk past without buying it. You can wear in summer with shorts or leggings and it is super light-weight so it wont make you feel hot and sweaty which is what I love about it. (And also when something is the last one, it makes you love it just about 10 times more!)

Target Maxi Skirt & Valleygirl Singlet
Coming up to summer I really thought I needed a new outfit, and this is what I decided to start wearing again.. Maxi Skirts! (Of course I had to go with my mum to hint to her that this was what I wanted for Christmas.) The skirt is super soft and silky which I absolutely love and I think it is a perfect material for summer!

Other Christmas Gifts;
The AFL Membership which I received from my Dad is for the Richmond Football Club. I just got a basic 11 Home Game Pass which is all I really needed considering I will have heaps of homework this year and that I work as well on the weekends. I also got a $100 Gift card.(Which I spend on Boxing Day) And also my Kikki K Diary. It is the same one which I had last year and absolutely loved. It's the perfect size for me to carry around at school and to write all my homework in.

Boxing Day Bargains!
So yesterday I was a little bit naughty and headed down to the shops to see what bargains I could pick up. And of course the first store I headed to was Lush...

1. Golden Wonder Bath Ballistic
2. Flying Fox Shower Gel 100g
3. Magic Wand Bubble Bar
4. Cinders Bath Ballistic
5. Buttercup Gift Set
6. Luxury Pud Bath Ballistic











All of these Lush items were 50% off, how exciting! The only bad side is that as soon as I finish these products, (Except Flying Fox) I will not be able to buy them again until next December!
1. What lead me to this bath ballistic at first was it's bright golden colour. It also says that it has gold stars inside which burst out into the bath and actually turns the water blue.(Which is funny because you kind of expect the water to become a yellow/golden colour. It's quite hard to describe this certain smell but it defiantly uplifting and just makes you want to smell it again and again!
2. I have never tried a Lush shower gel before so that's why I thought I'd give this one a go, and it was half price. But I only got a little bottle just in case I didn't quite like it. The smell is a mixture of jasmine and honey which sounds kind of sticky. But I hope this works well!
3. When I heard about this bubble bar it sounded like a great idea that it can last up to ten bubble baths! Since it was getting quite annoying using a full bath ballistic for only one bath, which can add up over time and can seem as almost a waste. All you have to do is swish it around in the water holding the stick to create bubbles and you don't even have to get you hands wet if you aren't ready to hop into the bath just yet. It has a sweet vanilla scent which even may have a hint of the smell of flowers to it.
4. This bath ballistic I actually heard about while watching a Youtube video and I thought that since it was half price I might as well try it out. It is topped with popping candy which gives it that crackling open fire effect to it while also smelling of cinnamon. I imagine that this would turn the water yellow, but I could be completely wrong!
5. This gift set is actually something that I am going to give to one of my friends for her birthday next month. It has a 100g 'Honey I washed the kids soap' and a Butterball bath ballistic all wrapped up in a cute box.
6. This is another bath ballistic which I heard about on Youtube. It turns the water multi-coloured while smelling sweet and calming. Which apparently sounds perfect just before bed.

Now that I think about it maybe I should of brought more Lush products since they were so cheap! But I'm going back in a few days with a friend, so I may come back with a few more things than I expected.

Bardot Plain White T-Shirt & Kate Hill Lois Medium Tote
This plain white t-shirt from Bardot was just something that I thought could go with almost anything. Since it's summer here in Australia I thought that this would be a great thing to have to wear with skirts and shorts, casual or even a bit more formal. And a new handbag was not something I was expecting to walk away with yesterday. But since it was 50% off and it was a style I have had my eye on for a while, I just decided to go for it. It is just the perfect size for me since all the others I had been looking at were just too big! It has all the pockets I need without over doing it. (Phone, keys, small and big zip pockets) Maybe even in a few weeks after I have tested it out a few times I might post a 'What's In My Bag?'

Bioderma 250ml 
I'll start on what this product actually is for those who haven't heard of it before. It is a skin cleanser as well as a make-up remover. I have heard some great things about this product and I can't wait to try it out for myself. The only bad side about this product is that it isn't super cheap. But lucky for me I got it when Priceline was having a big 40% off all skincare products!

Harrison's School Shoes (T-Bars)
These truly do have nothing to do with beauty or lifestyle but I thought I'd throw them into the mix anyway! My other school shoes were getting really old(and holey!), so it was time for some new good ones to last me.

Wow it actually took me longer than I thought to write all that up! I hope you enjoyed this post and that you all had a fabulous Christmas day filled with family, friends.. and presents! And I hope you all have a great New Year and that you remember, a new year means a new fresh start! Xx