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

April Playlist

Hello there lovely readers!

I wan't sure what I wanted to write about today, but I had this big urge to blog today anyway. Sometimes it's good to have a little break from beauty focused posts anyway. I decided that today I wanted to make you guys a little playlist to give you an insight into what kind of music I like. I hope you enjoy!

1. 101 by Walla

This song is fun, and I love having it on in the car. My boyfriend introduced me to this a little while ago and I've loved it ever since.

2. Drive by Ainslie Wills

I'm pretty sure she's Australian, which is really cool. Recently I went through a time where I needed headspace and this song helped, but it's so good that I've almost over-listened to it.

3. Emoticons by The Wombats

I am so excited for the album to come out it's not funny. I'm in love with the songs that have come out so far, and this one is a little different from what they usually do but it's still really good.

4. You by The 1975

There's something about this song that I just can't get enough of. It's got a secret bonus song at the end of it as well.

5. Hero by Family of the Year

This song was in the film Boyhood and I kid of forgot about it until recently. It's another one I've nearly over-listened to. It's just so gentle and then it builds and it's amazing. 

I hope you guys liked this post! I might do a monthly playlist if you enjoy this kind of thing! If you want to listen to any of the songs just click the headings. 

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x

March Favourites

Hello there!

To start off with I'd like to say thank you to Issie Skinner for tagging me in a post and getting you guys to come here! I will be doing that tag very soon!

So how was your March? Mine was extremely stressful school wise. I'm glad it's over actually. Anyway, here are a few things I discovered and enjoyed in March.

1. Soin Du Visage Byphasse Micellar Solution

I was in the discount chemist the other day, somewhere I haven't been in years, and I spotted this. It's pretty much all in French on the front, but has English instructions on the back. I've wanted to try a micellar water type product forever, and so far I'm pretty impressed with this one. It was pretty inexpensive unlike the Bioderma brand. It removes my makeup well, I use 2-3 makeup pads and it does the trick. It does tend to leave my face feeling a tad dry and sticky though, so I just moisturise a little extra.

2. Etude House Brush 351 Eyebrow Brush

I've been experimenting with how I fill in my brows, and I finally bought an angled brush. I really love this one, as it's firm but not hard. I love that it's pink and it was pretty cheap as well. 

3. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I have been wanting to try a makeup sponge, beauty blender kind of product and I saw that Real Techniques released one and decided to give it a go. I'm sorry mine is a little dirty and many looking, I haven't quite figured out how to wash it yet. I love the smooth application it gets because I always have brush stroke marks on my face and don't notice. I use the pointed end for under my eyes, the flat slanted end for my nose and face and occasionally the curved parts for large areas. It helps reduce my foundation cake up.

4. MAC Lipstick in Sin

My boyfriend bought me this for our anniversary and I just adore it. The photo I took makes it look practically black, but it's a deep plum toned maroon, hopefully you can tell that by the swatch. It's matte as well which I just love. 

5. Revlon Colorstay in 110 Ivory for Normal/Dry Skin

An old favourite, I decided to go back to using this eve though it is a little pricier than the Rimmel foundations I've been using. The Rimmel ones are slightly the wrong colour for me, and although this one is a tiny bit pale, I don't mind it. I use the Miracle Complexion Sponge to apply it and it doesn't look cakey or oily and gives me a reasonable coverage, not too heavy. 

Thank you for reading guys! I hope you weren't an April Fool and that this month ahead is a bright one.

Au Revoir!

Zoe.x