GOLD & GLITTER

What was the best part of shopping in the US? The makeup and skincare of course!

Here is some of the favourites I picked up along the way

Glossier lidstar's in Moon and Slip 

These are very sheer and don't give you much colour but do give you a nice glow, which is perfect for  something subtle during the day.

KKW Beauty 

Highlighter palette in 1 and nude lipstick in 1

This highlighter palette is stunning, I've worn it nearly every day since i got it. The lipstick is also the perfect nude and i love the creamy matte finish. Can we also talk about the gorgeous packaging! I love the nude and the clear perspex. 

Other items shown

Still glitter and glow liquid eye shadows, Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter, Mecca Cosmetica Lip de luscious in nude and Mecca Max gloss boss. 

SHINY

Shiny new things..

Earrings- Sportsgirl / Lipsticks in Buttercup and Nude- Gerard Cosmetics 

FAKE IT TIL YOU MAKE IT

For many years now i have been slathering myself in fake tan every single week without fail. I've tried every tan brand on the market and know exactly what i want in my fake tanner. I thought i would share my routine to get you from pale to 'I've just got back from a week in the Amalfi Coast'.

My Routine: 

1. Exfoliate your skin, usually for me this means scrubbing hard to get that old fake tan off. I use the St Tropez exfoliater mitt and some of the Lush Rub Rub scrub which is made from salt. This helps break down the old tan and makes it so much easier to remove, i can't do this step without it! Then i cover myself in the Frank body coffee scrub for a little bit more exfoliation and it also moisturises the skin (this stuff is also amazing on the face as a scrub and mask, i leave it on for 5-10 mins and my skin looks amazing.)

2. Next i grab some moisturiser and apply it on my elbows, neck and massage it all over my feet. This helps it from sticking to dry spots especially on the feet!

3. Grabbing a tanning mitt (my fav is the St Tropez one) i apply the Le Tan ultra dark mousse starting on my legs doing one leg at a time then going back over a second time. This makes your tan darker than if you just did one layer, however it can make you very sticky, i like to stand in front of my fan to help dry it quicker. 

4. Now that you're whole body is tanned, throw on some very loose clothing, i always do my tanning before bed and then throw on a night shirt. I can't stand the feeling of fake tan during the day, i love putting it on at night so it can develop overnight and i can wake up tanned and ready for the day. 

5. When you wake up in the morning for your shower be careful what you use, i find soaps can be too harsh and can leave streaks on my fake tan. Also hot water is the enemy, it will eat away at your precious tan, try and keep the water a bit cooler which is easy for me since its summer right now and i love a cold shower. Moisturising after every shower will keep your skin suple and pro-long your tan.

  

And thats how you do it!

I love the feeling of looking tan, i can't stand my normal pale skin especially living in Australia were everyone has a tan!

Until next time... 

THE PERFECT PALETTE

After hearing great things about makeup geek eyeshadows, i decided to check them out. I loved the idea that you could make up your own perfect palette, that way you actually get use out of all the shades. I wanted a palette with some buildable matte shades and of course my favourite, some super pigmented shimmer shades. I have to say after using my new eyeshadows for a couple of months now, i find myself always reaching for this palette. The colours are so pigmented and buttery while also lasting very well, all in all i am impressed and I'm already looking to extend my collection. 

Shades from left to right 

Top row: Cocoa Bear, Creme brûlée, Peach smoothie

Middle row: Cinderella, Legend, Latte

Bottom row: Ritzy, Grandstand, Starry eyed

I also got my hands on the new Too Faced Melted matte lipsticks long wear lipsticks in some nude shades. Like all liquid matte lipsticks that I've tried, Too faced still hasn't managed to make any breakthroughs in making a moisturising formula, however the colours are pigmented and long lasting. 

I picked up the colours: Cool girl, Child star and Sell out 

KYLIE

I'm a bit late to the party but i finally bought some items from Kylie cosmetics range.

I decided to get the bronze Kyshadow palette and one of her lip kits in Candy K.

I'm really loving the colours in the palette, they are exactly what i was after since i haven't found  them in any of my other many eye shadow palettes. The lip kit is also such a great formula, I'm especially in love with the lip liner, it goes on so smooth and is really pigmented. All in all i think the Kylie cosmetics are worth it, I'm excited to see her next eye shadow palette and I'm tempted to get some more lip kits. 

GIRLFRIEND

Whether you call them mom jeans or girlfriend jeans its all the same style with homage to those Levis 501's that are as timeless as ever. I'm kind of obsessed with this style of jean at the moment it seems to give everything that Model off duty look. 

Girlfriend Jeans from Witchery 

I bought this Red Earth eye shadow palette from David Jones the other day and i have to say i love it, the colours are beautiful and perfect for everyday glowy looks. 

For my Birthday i got given the new Hourglass highlighter with high expectations. I love their eye shadow palettes and ambient lighting powders but i am feeling a bit disappointed with the highlighter. I am so used to the beautiful finely milled powders so wasn't loving the large glitter flecks that stick out on your face, it really wasn't what i was expecting I'm tossing up wether to take it back to mecca. 

Red Earth eye shadow palette / Hourglass ambient strobe lighting powder / Chanel nail polish i 

SKINCARE ROUTINE

 I will admit that I am one of those lucky people that is blessed with clear skin, I probably get about 5 pimples a year. However when i do get them they are always right before an event and somewhere on my face that is even impossible for concealer to hide. So it just proves no skin is perfect, My lack of pimples is due to my skin being very dry, come winter i have to put on 3 types of moisturiser before my makeup otherwise i end up looking like cracked paint. So I thought i would share some of my skincare routine, these products will especially suit those with dry skin like myself.

Daily

Morning and night I have begun to use a Konjac sponge to cleanse and lightly exfoliate my face. I got this french pink clay infused one from The Konjac Sponge Company (Sold at Sephora) that is specific for helping tired devitalised skin.
For those that don't know what a Konjac sponge is, they are made from vegetable fibre of the Konnyaku root which has been used as a beauty treatment in Asia for over 1,500 years! I only just discovered them and are in love, it leaves my skin so soft and feeling refreshed and clean.

I follow my cleansing with the Konjac sponge with a couple drops of either Model Co's rose hip oil or Tarte's Maracuja oil. Then i cover my face with my favourite Essano organic rose hip night cream, if my skin is really dry i apply the cream day and night.


Weekly

3 times a week I use my Angels on bare skin cleanser from Lush to relax my skin and revitalise it (especially when you've been working a lot and feeling run down.) I leave it on for couple of minutes and then wash it off.

1-2 times a week i use the let the good times roll cleanser from Lush which is a great exfoliate, I massage some into my skin to remove dead skin cells then leave for a minute or too an wash off. It is also moisturising and leaves a caramel smelling coating on your skin. I make sure that i don't exfoliate my skin too much because you can end up damaging the good layer of skin.

Tip: I sometimes switch out foundation with a light tinted moisturiser (Laura Mercier) or cc cream (Smashbox) to give my skin a bit of a break from heavy makeup.
Tip: Probably the best way to achieve bright looking skin is getting lots of sleep! When i have a day off work and sleep in my skin always glows.

CURRENTLY

Some recent favourite purchases of mine...

Witchery Sneakers

I love the gold heel detail on these sneakers and the fact there resemblance is uncanny to the adidas Stan Smiths

Laura Mercier illuminating primer and tinted moisturiser

I finally jumped the gun and tried out some Laura Mercier cult favourite products, and i was impressed. There is just something special about how their products feel on your skin, they are so light like silk and give you that glowing look that every makeup enthusiast aspires to perfect.

Calvin Klein set

Because every cool girl needs a matching Calvin Klein set for that 'I just woke up in white sheets looking this good' instagram photo.

Boutique Minimaliste Earrings and lariat necklace

I bought a choker necklace from Boutique Minimaliste not too long ago and was impressed with the quality, so i decided to order some more pieces. These earrings are the perfect everyday pair and i love the simplicity of the necklace.

MARC

On Saturday my mum and I went into the city to do some Christmas shopping. First when went to Tiffany's and Co since mum wanted to get herself a ring for Christmas, while i was there i tried on a ring from their atlas collection that i fell in love with, it will defiantly be saving up for it. 

Next we went to David Jones where i had a look for a Marc Jacobs bag for my Christmas present, i ended up settling on a bag and matching wallet. Unfortunately i can't get my hands on the bag til Christmas day since mum has it under lockdown. 

We then headed to Sephora, it was really busy as well since they were celebrating their 1st birthday. I managed to elbow my way throughout the many crazy girls. I went in planning on getting the nude stix lipstick pencil in whisper i had seen it on the website and it looked like such a nice mauve nude colour, i also was after the Zoeva Petite crease brush which Chloe Morello raves about. Unfortunately they were out of both of these so i bought it online but i did pick up some amazing Tarte goodies, i treated myself to their amazing christmas light of the party makeup case and their favourite Maracuja oil which I've used for a couple nights already and I'm loving it. 

Finally after some lunch we finished off the day at H&M, the last time i was in H&M was when i was traveling through Europe so it was nice to shop on my home soil. So i went straight for the home wares and was in absolute heaven i bought some pillow cases and decor items which you will see in upcoming posts I'm sure. 

Marc by Marc Jacobs wallet / Missguided sleepwear set / Russh Magazine

X NINE

There really is nothing more exciting than new makeup especially when its from Mac and Nars. 

I've been on the lookout for burgundy eye shadow shades and found it in the Mac X nine burgundy palette. I was also trying to find an eye shadow similar to my favourite (push up) in the too faced natural eye palette, then i came across this eye shadow duo from Nars that is perfect for day time wear and as a replacement. 

Mac X Nine burgundy palette / Nars Kalahari eye shadow duo 

KORRES

While on my travels in Greece i discovered this amazing Greek brand of skincare born in Athens called Korres. Its natural ingredients and aesthetic is similar to my other favourite skincare brands Grown Alchemist and Aesop. I ran out of my failsafe Clinique Dramatically different moisturiser and wanted to find a nice moisturiser for night and day. I came across this amazing Almond blossom moisturiser that not only smells incredible but is so hydrating. I also needed a gentle facial cleanser to add some moisture to my skin after all the sun and salt and found the perfect solution with the Korres Milk protein cleanser. I mixed all these new products with my Model Co rose hip oil that i can't live without. My skin was glowing and i can now say I'm addicted to Korres now!

ROUTINE

I wanted to share just some of my current Lush favourites that have been an absolute lifesaver in this winter weather. 

First up is the Charcoal face cleanser, this stuff is amazing, I lather it on my face ever night after using my makeup remover. It make my skin feel so clean and stops any impurities while also adding some moisture and of course it smells so fresh and yummy. 

My second life saver is the ultra balm which i massage on my face my hands/cuticles and anywhere that needs moisture really, its perfect for everything. 

And lastly the Rub, Rub, Rub scrub which i use every week to exfoliate my skin and you can even use it on your hair for body. 

GOLDEN

As I mentioned in my last post I just bought the Hourglass modernist eyeshadow palette in Obscura, so I thought it was only fitting that I showed you a look I created with the beautiful shades. 

I love the shades in this palette, they are lovely warm tones, smooth and so pigmented. In this look i used 3 of the shades, the darkest shimmering brown shadow all over the eye and on lower lash line, then i used the darkest matte brown shadow for the outside corner of the eye and along the lower lash line and finally the light beige shadow for blending around the crease and on the brow bone. 

I really can't stress how buttery they are and you don't need much on the brush, I am in love with this palette so much and i'm already considering buying the infinity palette too!

Also on my face:

Base

Clinque Dramatically different moisturiser

Stila Primer balm

Models Prefer Eye brightener

Models Prefer daily Detox liquid foundation in Light

Define/Cheeks

Bare Minerals mineral powder

Nars blush in Orgasm

Too faced Matte Bronzer in Chocolate Soleil

Hourglass ambient lighting powder in Mood Light

Eyes/Brows/lips

Hourglass Modernist eye shadow palette in Obscura
Maybelline brow drama in brown
Too Faced Melted lipstick in Fig

Finishing

Too faced natural face palette Illuminator and brightener

Australis finishing spray

OBSCURA

I finally got my hands on this stunning modernist eye shadow palette from Hourglass in Obscura. After using their ambient light powder I instantly feel in love with this brand. They make the smoothest finest sensory powders that are creamy and pigmented. I can happily say they did not disappoint with this palette, it has the most gorgeous shades that are perfect for day and night wear. I am in love. 

STILA

Since I'm saving for Europe I have been avoiding buying anything but when it comes to makeup i really can't help myself, especially when there is a Mecca Maxima right beside my work (I have to walk past it on every lunch break, its torture) So while killing a bit of time before work I went and tried some products, I decided on these two beauties.
I picked up this amazing Stila Primer balm which is incredible, I really can't describe the feeling it gives your skin. It just leaves you're skin so smooth and soft and makes your foundation blend beautifully. I also got this creamy lipstick from Smashbox in Pretty Social, its a lovely pink rosy colour that is great for everyday wear and looks great mixed with a mauvey toned lip liner.