May Favourites

Hello everyone!

It's that time again, I'm sad May is nearly gone, I celebrated my birthday, my best friend's birthday, had a few party get together type things and went to Sydney for school. It was a sort of stressful month, but I'm finally 18! Ahhh! So anyway, here are a few of my favourite things from this month.

1. Kikki K Scented Candle

I got this from my Mum for my birthday and I've burnt it every day since. It doesn't actually tell you what the scent is, but to me it's a fresh floral kind of smell, it's very calming and I think it would suit a wide range of age groups, I mean I love it, but I can imagine my Gran loving it too. It's from the Svenska Hem collection, and I love how it has a quote and illustrations on the outside. It's a soy candle, which I also really like. Hopefully after I've burnt it all I can use it for pencils or makeup brushes.

2. NARS Isolde Eyeshadow Duo

If you read my review of this two posts back, you'll know how much I love this. I got it for my birthday from my best friend and it's amazing. I went to a party last night and wore the gold shade all over my lid and the brown in my crease and it was gorgeous.

3. Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb

I bought this a little while ago with my birthday money, and this didn't have a price tag so when I went to the register, wow was I surprised by how pricey this was, but I treated myself anyway with it just this once. I can see how the Bon Bon fragrance is sort of related to this one, but obviously this is a lot less sweet and much more floral, hence the name. I love it, it makes me feel very feminine.

4. NIVEA Repair & Protect Lip Balm

My lips have been insanely dry because of my acne medication, and this lip balm is the one I've been reaching for and repurchasing. It doesn't stay on for a long time, but it isn't greasy or shiny and it doesn't sting or burn. 

5. MAC Gentle Mineralize Blush

An oldie but a goodie, I've been wearing this more as the redness in my cheeks has been calming down. It's easy to put too much of this on, so you need to have a light hand. 

Hope you guys had a happy May, you'll be hearing from me soon!

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

May Beauty Wish List

Hi guys!

Bit of a different post today! I remembered I had polyvore, check me out HERE!

Products Included:
Benefit Rollerlash
Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette
Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Colour
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer
Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade
Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette
Sigma 3DHD Kabuki Brush

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

NARS Isolde Eyeshadow Duo Review

Hello there!

Long time no talk, sorry about that, I've been having a pretty stressful time at school, as well as birthdays, excursions etc. Anyway, today I'll be reviewing this eyeshadow duo my best friend got me for my 18th from NARS.

The colours, first of all, are incredibly beautiful and exactly the tones that I usually go for. There is a yellowy toned gold and a nice warm, not too dark, brown colour. The gold is definitely more shimmery and metallic than the brown.

The colour pay off is incredible and they are both very pigmented. The gold comes off on my lids a bit more sort of orangey gold and the brown much more metallic than it looks in the pan. The brown is slightly more pigmented than the gold, but the gold makes up for it in being so shimmery.

Overall, they are gorgeous, and I am certain I will be reaching for this on not only a for nights out with the shimmer factor, but also on days where I feel like amping up my eye makeup. I'm really impressed and just head over heels for this duo.

I'm not sure if the colours can be purchased separately, but they go so well together I think it's worth having both.

Just a quick review today guys, I hope you've been having a lovely week.

P.S. Sorry if the lighting is bad!

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x 

Big Priceline Beauty Haul

Hello all!

I'm back with a big beauty haul, I feel as if it's my birthday I got so much stuff!

Priceline currently has a promotion where if you buy $60 worth of makeup you get a free gift worth $200, being a Ted Baker looking bag filled with lots of beauty freebies. 

This is going to be a long post by the way!

To start of with, here's what I bought for myself to start off with, I bough something else as well for someone else, so it all added up to $60:

Covergirl Lashblast Volume in Waterproof

I've had this in the past and enjoyed it, an it's getting gloomier here, hence the crappy lighting in my photos, but I ran out of waterproof mascara and am fed up with panda eyes.

Covergirl Ready Set Gorgeous Oil Free Foundation in 105 Classic Ivory

I went out on a limb with this after running out of my Revlon foundation, and Katy Perry has been advertising it and I love her. It's a tiny bit yellow for me, but it has pretty good coverage and is easy to apply. I like the packaging too.

Maybelline Colour Sensational Lipstick in Barely Brown

I was after a nice medium toned brown lipstick, and although this one isn't matte like what I had in mind, I still think it's really chic and I usually love the Colour Sensational Lipsticks. It's wearable for every day as well if you blot it a bit.

So here's the free makeup bag, and I can't decide if I'm annoyed or thrilled that it looks like a Ted Baker bag, but it's nice and big and I like the colour, so I'm wiling to overlook that:

Lip Products:

Models Prefer Moisture Lust Glossy Lip Tint in Chai Latte

I'm pleasantly surprised by this, it's a nice brown nude tone for my complexion and the formula is quite nice.

Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm in 150 Enticing

I'm so excited this was included, I've wanted it for ages! It's semi sheer and this colour is lovely.

Nude By Nature Mineral Lip Gloss in Flirty

I'm not a huge fan of this mainly because of the taste and smell. I don't particularly like mineral makeup, but if you do this product is a nice colour and it's not very sticky.

Face/Brow Products:

L'Oreal True Match Foundation Sample

This colour is way too dark for me, and the range itself doesn't have a shade that matches me, but I might try this out to test the formulation anyway.

Innoxa Satin Sheen Natural Finish Makeup in Buttermilk

I tried this last night and although it was sheer and light, it smelt nice, matched my skintone and would be nice on a day where you don't want to wear heavy makeup. I like that it has SPF 30+.

SAVVY Clear Brow Gel

I recently ran out of my Australis brow gel, so this is helpful and does the job.

L'Oreal Base Magique Transforming Smoothing Primer

I'm going to try this out tomorrow as I'm going to a music festival, it seems light and smooth.

Manicare Products:

Glameyes Nicki Lashes

I'm not sure I would ever wear these, but they look pretty and could be fun on a night out.

Glam express! 3 in 1 Nail Art Pen in Golden Girl

I've had something like this and it never worked for me, but this has stencils, a polish, nail art pen and rhinestones so it might be fun to test out.

Nail Products:

Sally Hansen Triple Shine Nail Colour in Dream Sequins

This polish is amazing. It's clear with rose gold glitter and it's just perfect. So excited to try it!

L'Oreal Colour Riche in 609 Divine Indigo 

So petite and beautiful, it's a dark purple colour with metallic purple, dark blue and pink shimmer.

Nail Rock Nail Caviar in Neptune

This looks so fun and I've always wanted to try it. The main polish is a greeny blue colour and the little beads are pinky purple and blue. I'll probably end up picking it off but I might do a separate post on this.

Essie Nail Lacquer in Ballet Slippers

I love Essie polishes and this one is gorgeous. It's a super pale pink and I'm really hoping it suits me.

Natio Nail Colour in Wonder

This is a super bright pink with a hint of red, it doesn't have any shimmer. I've never tried a Natio polish so I'm curios to see how opaque it'll be.

Mascaras:

Physician's Formula Organic Wear FakeOut Mascara in Ultra Black

I love this product so much already. The wand is similar to the Lashblast one, and it separates my lashes really well and adds the right amount of volume. It does smudge really easily however.

Rimmel Scandal Eyes Rockin' Curves Mascara in Extreme Black

I have to say the brush on this is awkward and I'm not a fan. The packaging is a bit cheap and nasty, but the formula itself isn't terrible.

Body Products:

EcoTools Eco Friendly Bath Sponge

I love this and needed a new one, and I like that it's green. I've never tried an EcoTools product before but I'm sure it'll be good.

So there you go! I feel like I got so many things that I've been wanting and meaning to get for a while and I'm so happy I got most of them for free! I hope this post wasn't too long. I'm not trying to brag or show off either.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

April Favourites

Hello guys!

Sorry it's been a while since I've blogged, I just went back to school this week and it's stressful already. I'm sorry I seem to just do monthly favourite posts and not much else, but it means I can quickly update you guys and still review things, but more quickly. Enjoy!

1. SKIN79 Super+ Beblesh Balm

I ordered this from Yesstyle a little while ago to test it out again, I have used it in the past when I didn't have acne and I remember loving it, but nowadays having a lot of redness and spots means it doesn't have the coverage I need. Instead, I've been using this as a primer as it have SPF 25, a bit of colour and moisturiser in it, so it's a nice base under my Revlon foundation and helps it stay in place for longer and look less dry at the end of the day. I don't need the whitening aspect of this product, but this is a trend in Asian beauty products. Sorry about the crappy swatch, but the product comes out with a grey tinge and eventually settles into a colour that matches your skin better, so don't panic!

2. OGX Ever Straight Brazilian Keratin Therapy Relaxing Balm

I've started getting back into haircare, and I dyed my hair from a honey blonde to a dark, almost brunette colour the other day. I didn't want my hair to feel brittle at the ends like it did before, and this product has really been helping restore the moisture back into my hair. My hair looks healthier and it smells good, as this product contains coconut oil and other rich, creamy ingredients. It is designed to make your hair stay straight, but I mine is pretty straight anyway so I don't see much of a difference.

3. The Body Shop Mango Body Butter

This stuff smells exactly how it should! It's a lot lighter and silkier than some of the other body butters, like the Shea Butter one I have reviewed, and it moisturises the right amount. The smell is quite strong though, so if you want something more subtle, this may not be for you. I think it's delicious though!

4. Oral-B Clinical Alcohol Free Fluoride Rinse in Cool Mint

First of all, I love the colour of this, even though it's irrelevant to how well it works, but this product is pretty good. The taste is quite different to any other mouth wash I've used, it's almost tingly. Recently I had 3 cavities removed (whoops!) and I've now been taking extra care of my teeth. Let that be a warning guys, your teeth are important and it's much easier to clean them properly than to get them drilled into. This mouthwash works well, leaves my teeth feeling smooth and fresh, so what's not to love. Don't forget to floss.

5. Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Strengthener

The other day I snapped the sides of both my thumb nails, and the first thing I reached for was this. I've repurchased this many times and I use it as a base coat under nail polish most of the time, but it's helping to prevent my other nails from snapping and my thumb nails from becoming worse. I'll probably keep repurchasing this as it's a nail care essential. 

Thank you for reading! 

Hope you had a happy month, and a great one to come.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

My Double Helix Piercing Experience

Hello there!

This is a very different post from what I usually do, but maybe it'll help some of you guys out there thinking about getting cartilage piercings, or if you're just curious. I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's a personal preference.

Before:

• Before I actually got it done, I watched a lot of youtube videos of how the procedure is done, just so that I could understand what was happening so it was less daunting when I went into it. This might make some people more nervous, but in my case it calmed some of my fears.
• Another thing I did was a lot of research into where the best place was, and in my city it happened to be the most intimidating shop, being the one that sells bongs, pipes, novelties and punk clothing, and although this seemed like the worst place, the staff were friendly ann comforting. They took their time and care to do the piercing hygienically. This may not be the case for other shops, but just do your research and maybe even spend time in the shop beforehand.
• Bring someone with you if you're really nervous. I held my boyfriend's hand and my best friend was in the room as well, which made the whole experience less scary.

During:

• I would have to say, this piercing was pretty painful, but with doing two at once in the same area made it hurt a lot more. It's kind of an intense burning pain, and it hurts a lot more than lobe piercings of which I have two in each ear. I didn't cry because it was a bearable amount of pain.
• If you really want this piercing, it's 100% worth the pain. Don't go in thinking about how much it's going to hurt, think about how good it's going to look and how happy you'll be when it's finished. If you need to take a little break between different steps of the piercing, your piercer should be more than happy to help.
• The reason the jewellery they used sticks out so much is to account for swelling, although it's not going to swell that much, and also because using a piercing gun for these kinds of piercings is going to damage your cartilage and increase the chance of infection. Only get them to use a needle.

After:

• This piercing was pretty painful afterwards, it gave me a migraine and it felt like it was on fire and someone had kicked me in the ear, but that settled down after a few hours.
• I wouldn't recommend sleeping on the side you get the piercing for a while, as this can move your piercing around and prolong healing time. It also hurts a lot.
• They gave me aftercare spray at the shop, but you can buy it at most pharmacies. I spray it on the area twice a day, and also spray it onto cotton tips and clean up the area.
• My piercings did bleed a bit the first few days, but I did keep bumping them and I'm taking a medication that effects skin, so this may be the reason behind that. If it does bleed, don't panic, it's normal and can easily be cleaned. Don't touch the area unless you are using a cotton tip, as this can transfer bacteria and cause an infection.
• If it gets itchy, which it is for me currently, almost two weeks after the piercing, this is part of the healing process, just try your best not to irritate it further by scratching. 

So there you go! I hope some of you guys found this helpful and I'm happy to answer questions in the comments. I'm sorry my ear looks a bit dry, it's still healing.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

My Cosy Night In

Hello lovelies!

Need wind down time? You deserve it. Here's how I like to wind down each night after a crappy day at school (or you know, anytime).

Step 1

Slippers. These are from Peter Alexander and I tried so hard not to ruin them but hey, my feet get chilly. 

Step 2

Tea is everything. I love classic English Breakfast all times of the day, but sometimes I mix it up with Sleepy Time and fruity tea. Just depends what mood I'm in.

Step 3

Candles can help to make you feel super toasty and cosy or chilled out. I've started to buy soy candles and I think they last a lot longer, that's if you don't let them fall in the bath like I did with this one...

Step 4

Take that makeup off, who is going to see you and lovely, you are beautiful all the time anyway. Give your skin a breather and rub those eyes finally after a long day. Feels good, am I right?

Step 5

I know this isn't what they recommend, but I love to wind down on my laptop. Plus I'm addicted to Sims 4 right now.

Hope you all find calm and relaxation. Treat yourself.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

My MAC Lipstick Collection

Hello there you!

I hope you all had a lovely Easter! I've been wanting to put this post up forever, but I've just never got around to it, but tada! Here it is! My MAC lipstick collection. I apologise for the lighting and if the colours don't show properly, if you see something you like you should definitely check it out at MAC in person.

 1. Creme Cup

This is the lightest colour I own as well as the first I bought. I have to say I can only wear this if it's applied lightly and I have a gloss on top. It's way too light for me and makes me look like I've got foundation on my lips. I got it in eBay so I wasn't sure what it would look like on, so I guess I learnt my lesson. It's still gorgeous though, and it's a Cremesheen, making it glossy and creamy.

2. Impassioned

My Mum got this for me in Sydney.  I remember Zoella had it on in one of her videos and it looked really good, but I put it on and it's too bright for me. I love it, but obviously light and bright colours don't suit me do well. This one is an Amplified finish as well, so it's extra in your face.

3. Lustering

I apologise for the next three pictures, they all make the colours look the same. This colour is the closest to my natural lip colour, it's a soft rosy pink. The finish is a Lustre, and it's so smooth and feels slightly slippery but hydrating on the lips. I haven't tried it with a lip liner, but I can imagine it looking even nicer with that underneath.

4. Lady Bug

This is just a really nice slightly orange red, but it is mostly red. It's quite glossy and sheer being a Lustre, more so than Lustering in my opinion. It's a super easy chuck on colour that completes your look easily.

5. Russian Red

I love this colour, it's buildable and it's amazing when you wear it to it's full colour potential. I think I like the Matte lipsticks the best, just because I know they won't slide around or bleed even though the other lipsticks I have don't tend to. It's almost a classic red but it's just a bit deeper.

6. Sin

My most recent addition as you guys may know if you read my March Favourites. This is a very deep purpley red and I just adore it, I think it's my favourite in my collection. It's Matte like Russian Red as well so it's really full on and I think you have to be having a confident day to be wearing it full force, but I usually wear this lightly and it looks nice and subtle.

Here's a swatch of them all, sorry it's not great:

From left to right: Sin, Russian Red, Lady Bug, Lustering, Impassioned and Creme Cup

And on a side note, I like to store them all in a little mason jar.

I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead! Thanks for reading guys.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x