Monthly Roundup: May

I actually cannot believe that we are in June! May has literally flown by and along with it have a tonne of new products that i've discovered and loved.
So here is my monthly roundup for May! (Warning! There are a lot of lip products this month...I have an obsession...lets move on)

Beauty

YSL Sheer Candy in number 8

This month I got treated myself to having my make-up done for a 21st birthday that I was going to, the total cost of the makeup was redeemable in products (which was incredibly exciting) . As one of my items I chose a YSL sheer candy in a purply colour which is number 8. These are incredible..the formula is so smooth on the lips giving a subtle wash of colour teamed with a yummy scent this lipstick has kept me hooked all month

Mac Lipstick in Ri Ri Woo

I purchased the limited edition Ri Ri Woo (yes it bares the same name as Macs Ruby Woo) lipstick this month and at first I was a little disappointed with the formula as it is super matte, like so matte that it tends to find the dry patches on your lips and stick to them, not pretty. However after scrubbing my lips thoroughly and applying it over a balm I realised that I love it too much to even worry about the finish.

Korres Lip Butters

These lip butters have been my life over the past month. I have one in Jasmine which is a gorgeous natural light pink and another in Pomegranate a deep pink shade. My definite favourite out of the two is the Jasmine one as the colour is the perfect nude shade for my lips. With the colour and the scent and the fact that it is so moisturizing I would definitely recommend picking one of these up if your a lip junkie like myself.  

Lime Crime Lipstick in Centrifuschia 

I have never been as scared of a product as I am of the Lime Crime lipsticks. However I have heard such good things about them so I faced my fears and picked up a shade that I felt wasn't too out there. Centrifuschia is a darkish pink with a purply undertone and its safe to say that the second I applied it I was hooked. These lipsticks are so pigmented and so creamy on the lips, they are just stunning. I would highly recommend them! and who knows I might even get a crazy colour next time...

Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips

There is something so satisfying about applying these strips and then peeling them off your nose taking out all the gunk that has accumulated there. Sounds gross but trust me...you'll love it. Make sure you take them off though otherwise we could have a Princess Diaries moment on our hands...and no one wants that.

Rimmel Match Perfect Foundation

I ran out of my Healthy Mix Serum foundation this month and decided that I would branch out and try something new, and boy am I glad that I did. This foundation matches my skin perfectly, has a light coverage but is definitely build able. If your looking for a heavier coverage I wouldn't recommend this one or even if you have an oiler skin as it tends to sit very shiny on the skin. For me (I have normal skin) this is perfect and with a bit of powder over the top it looks just like skin, which after all is what we want isn't it?

Sally Hansen Pacific Blue

Except for the days when i'm working and I have to have clean nails (which is really quite sad) this polish has not left my fingers all month. Every time I go to paint my nails this one just seems to magically appear in my hand and before I know it my nails are painted a perfect shade of oceanic blue. 

Fashion

Watches

I feel naked if I leave the house without a watch, which has led me to acquire quite the collection of them. The two I have been reaching for this month are my Michael Kors Runway Watch in white and rose gold and my River Island Rose Gold Watch. 

Big Scarves

It is officially winter here in Australia and for Melbourne that means it is time to bring out all the winter accessories. I am scarf obsessed and when it comes to scarves the bigger the better I say and this scarf from Sportsgirl is huge. You'll have trouble being cold in this one as it is practically a blanket, which is perfection on those cold winter days.

Spiked Headbands

I've been seeing these headbands on ASOS for a while now but never wanted to fork out the ridiculous amount that they were charging for them when I could probably make them myself, so what do I do when I dont want to pay full price? I hit up eBay of course! These were $1.69 each...you read that correctly! At $1.69 each you can afford to get two which is exactly what I did! They just add an edginess to any outfit and look great with a messy top knot!

Hope you enjoyed 

Elizabeth xx

Music Roundup - May

This month has been a slow one in music for me, i've been re-living some of my favourite albums and listening to a few new tracks sooo down to business! Here is my round up for May!

Resolution - Matt Corby

Words cannot describe the love I have for this song. I have listened to this one 32 times in the past two days...if that doesn't say something then I don't know what does! His voice is so mellow and relaxing and he's a fellow Aussie which I always appreciate!

Under Control- Cary Brothers

This album is an oldie but a goodie. After re hearing one of the songs on the season finale of The Vampire Diaries I remember how obsessed with it I was when it first came out. I find the lead singers voice so soothing and tend to listen to this one in my down time!

Faves off this one are

Belong, Break Off The Bough, Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

The Great Gatsby Soundtrack

This album literally blew me away the first time I listened to it, I was actually in love with the whole thing and had Back To Black on repeat for 2 days straight. Have a listen you won't be disappointed

Faves are

Back To Black, Love Is Blindness, Hearts a Mess, Young and Beautiful, No Church in the Wild

Blurred Lines - Robin Thicke

Who isn't obsesses with this song...anyone? Didn't think so. This song is so catchy and I cant help but dance whenever I hear it. Its one of those songs that makes you smile and want to get up and move whenever it plays.

Rac Remixes

While going through my musical archive I began to notice a trend...If I had any remixes of any song they were all by the same person...RAC! I love the RAC remixes they aren't too techno and never take away from the actual song, they are just good quality listening! I highly reccomend checking out if a song you love has been remixed by RAC because i'm sure you'll love it!

Faves from RAC are

Hodini - Foster the People (RAC Remix), Something Good Can Work - Two Door Cinema Club (RAC remix), Armistice - Pheonix (RAC remix).

Hope you enjoyed 

Elizabeth xx

Shower With Me!

I've never been one to put too much effort into my shower routine, probably because i've never actually thought about it...but recently i've done a complete turn around and have started to take notice of what i'm using when i'm in the shower.

So here goes....

I start off by standing under the water for way too long and then move onto to taking care of my hair. I only shampoo my hair twice a week, I tend to use shampoos that are really harsh on my hair and strip everything out of it leaving my roots dry, that way I can just let the natural oils work their magic on my hair. The two shampoos that i use are Lee Stafford Bleach Blondes and Lush's BIG shampoo. The Bleach Blondes is an incredibly dark purple shampoo that removes any brassy tones from bleached hair, but fair warning, if you go overboard with this stuff you might unwillingly end up with a purple tinge throughout your hair...not pretty. BIG is the strangest shampoo i've ever used. It has huge chunks of sea salt throughout it which feel so wrong as they fall from your head but somehow so right as they leave your hair smelling amazing and perfectly clean. For conditioner I am using this new Garnier one for dry hair which so far has been working a treat. I apply this only to the ends of my hair and I leave it on as I continue to shower.

 Once my conditioner is in I move onto my face! I've been using the Neutrogena naturals range for a few months now and I'm loving it. I start with the fresh cleansing makeup remover to remove any makeup on my face, this stuff is truly amazing as it takes off every scrap of makeup from your face and it doesn't sting your eyes. I then go onto the purifying pore scrub to further deep clean my skin, its a really gentle scrub that leaves my face feeling fresh!

Finally I move onto my body. I use whatever shower gel I have around me and the Loverdose by Diesel is the current one in the rotation. It smells amazing and lingers on the skin which makes me so excited its not even funny.

I then go on to rinse everything off me! Pretty simple really.

When i'm out of the shower I lather up in this Palmer's Moisturizing Body Oil, which smells terrible but is so satisfying to apply!

So there you have it!  Let me know your shower routines in the comments, i'm always wanting to learn about new products!

Hope you enjoyed 

Elizabeth xx

Lipstick Collection!

This may sound like a pretty random post but I love lipsticks. I also love seeing new lipsticks and testing them out. Here in Australia somehow we got the short end of the stick and have to pay ridiculously high prices for things that you can find cheaper online, however the swatches that some websites use are completely different to what you get in the lipstick bullet. I thought i'd do a post with full swatches of the lipsticks that I own so you guys can get a better idea of the colour of them! 

NYX

We'll start with the nyx ones because these are the lipsticks I have the most of. Why? Because they're super cheap thats why! Nyx lipsticks have a good colour payoff however some are much better then others. Like all Nyx products they can be very hit or miss but the ones I have (see below) are all pretty good

Left to right : 501 Iris, 504 Harmonica, 583 Haute Melon, 596 Expresso

Left to right: 617 Summer Love, 630 Pumpkin Pie, 631 Gem

• Iris - An orangey nude with a golden sheen 
• Harmonica - An incredibly light pink, looks a tad ridiculous on me because of how fair I am but on tanned skin it looks lovely
• Haute Melon - A bright coral perfect for the summer!
• Expresso - A gorgeous dark reddy brown which is amazing when going for a more sultry night time look
• Summer Love - A pinky nude
• Pumpkin Pie - My everyday nude lipstick
• Gem - A bright pink with blue undertones 

Topshop

While I only have three of them, Topshop lipsticks are my favourite lipsticks that I own. Seeing as I had to choose these off a picture on their website topshop.com which doesn't give you the best representation of the colour I was extremely happy when they arrived. The quality is incredible 

 left to right: Charmed, Beguiled, Mischief

• Charmed - A light orange colour that sort of looks like a nude but a tad oranger 
• Beguiled - A Vampy reddish purple with a slight gold glitter
• Mischief - My go to red lip! 

Randoms

The last few lipsticks I own are just a random bunch that don't fit into the other categories. As you may see I only own 1 M.A.C lipstick...(shock horror!) the reason for this? They're $36 dollars here in Australia and I don't know about you but when I can get something of the same quality such as the topshop or even the Rimmel lipsticks for cheaper I will always choose the cheaper alternative. The reason I bought this M.A.C lippy is because its the limited edition Rihanna for M.A.C Ri Ri Woo Matte lipstick and its beautiful!

 Left to right: Stila - Gemma, Amuse Matte Lipstick - Dolly Pink, MAC - RiRi Woo, Rimmel Kate Lipstick in number 11

• Gemma - A browny nude with gold shimmer
• Dolly Pink - A barbie pink which I use to make my nude colours more pink
• RiRi Woo - Amazing matte red which I am currently obsessed with
• Kate 11 - A dark burgundy which would complement all skin tones, this one is amazing and very high quality for the price!

Hope you enjoyed 

Elizabeth xx

Music Roundup: April

I love discovering new music. Now while I am a self confessed music snob who will only listen to certain types of music I am up for suggestions. So here is what's been playing through my headphones, through my speakers and in my car the past month!

Bastille

I am currently OBSESSED with Bastille. I first heard their song Oblivion on the vampire diaries and immediately downloaded it, but I never got the entire album as I dont think it was out at the time. Well now its out and its amazing! It's a bit Bon Iver meets James Blake if they were a little more upbeat and happy. Favourites off this album are:

• Oblivion
• Pompeii
• Get Home
• These Streets

Imagine Dragons

Everyone and their mothers uncle has been listening to this album and there is a reason why. It is so darn good. Its one of those 'wake up in the morning and play this album' type of album as it is guaranteed to wake you up and put you in a good mood Go listen, you won't regret it. Faves off this one are

• It's Time
• On Top Of The World
• Run For Cover
• Every Night

Biffy Clyro

I. Love. Biffy. Clyro. I don't think i'll ever get enough of this band, I just love them so much and their latest album Opposites is so so good. If you like a bit of rock with a bit of indie alternative thrown in there then you'll like Biffy Clyro. My current faves off the album are:

• Black Chandelier 
• Opposites
• Biblical 
• The Thaw
• Picture a Knife Fight.

The Neighbourhood

The neighbourhood is a new discovery for me this month, their sound is so unique and cool and i instantly fell in love with them. Also their song Sweater Weather has been playing as a YouTube add before videos which i am completely fine with. Definite faves off their album I Love You. are: 

• Sweater Weather 
• Afraid 
• W.D.Y.W.F.M?

OneRepublic

OneRepublic released a new album this month and with them being one of my all time favourite bands it was an immediate purchase. Let me tell you right now that it does not disappoint! I love the entire album but the ones that stand out are:

• If I Lose Myself
• Burning Bridges
• Something I Need
• I Lived
• Counting Stars

That is my monthly roundup for music! Hopefully I've given you some new music to listen to! Let me know if you have any music recommendations as i'm always up for new music

Online Shopping: My All Time Favourite Online Boutiques!

Following on from yesterdays post about shopping, I thought I would put together a list of my favourite online stores! I thought this might be helpful to those who love a bit of retail therapy but refuse to take off your pyjamas and leave the house...like me.

So here goes...

I'll list the obvious ones first:

• ASOS  The first place I go to when I just want to browse clothes, shoes, accessories and beauty products, ASOS has everything you could ever want PLUS free shipping!
• Topshop   My favourite place for unique pieces and basics! A little on the pricey side but I love the clothing so much that I think its worth it.
• Style Compare   When i'm looking for something specific I hit up stylecompare.co.uk. Its basically a fashion search engine that will find what your looking for from a large list of online retailers 
• Urban Outfitters   Another favourite for basic tees and unique pieces, it now has flat rate international shipping which is another bonus!
• Nasty Gal  I'm obsessed with looking at all the clothing on nastygal.com because its gorgeous and funky and the shoes are to die for! However, the shipping to Australia is ridiculous so I tend to hold off on buying from here unless I can rally my friends together and we all buy something and split the shipping to make it more worth our while! 
• The Iconic   The iconic.com.au is a great Australian online retailer which has a great range of pretty much everything, and with 3 hour delivery to Melbourne its a super handy website to have in case of any last minute shopping emergencies

For the shoe lovers:

• Styletread  Another great Australian website, styletread.com.au offers an incredible range of shoes and accessories usually all reduced or on some kind of sale, its a shoe lovers dream!
• The Iconic *see above*
• Wanted Shoes  Wanted shoes have a great range of more high end shoes, with fast shipping!
• Tony Bianco   Tonybianco.com.au is my ultimate shoe website, they can do no wrong in my eyes and even though they are quite expensive the quality of the shoe is impecable which is why I own so many pairs of them!
• Solestruck   If your in the market for a crazy statement shoe look no further then solestruck.com, they literally offer some of the most bonkers pairs of shoes ive ever seen. They also hold an impressive range of Jefferey Campbells (Another personal fave) if your in the market for a pair

For us Aussies:

All of the following websites are relatively similar they all have pretty quick shipping to Aus, and all stock really pretty things at reasonable prices, some are cheaper then others but all of them have great items and are worth checking out!

• Market HQ
• Princess Polly
• Mossman
• Glassons
• Sportsgirl
• Show Pony
• Dissh
• Zoie Boutiqe
• The Fashion Bunker
• Beginning Boutique

For the makeup junkies:

• Feel Unique   Feelunique.com.au has high end make-up that you usually can't get in Australia, it also stocks drug store products that we can get but at much cheaper prices!
• Cherry Culture   Cherryculture.com is where i buy all of my nyx products from as they are so cheap! Shipping is a bit of a pain and your items don't arrive in the nicest of packaging but hey its so cheap that i don't even care!
• Crush Cosmetics   Crush is similar to cherry culture but with more products that we can't purchase in Australia but with a higher price tag the cherry culture. Shipping is also faster!
• Beauty Bay   Beautybay.com is all products high end, I could browse this website all day with its skin care, hair care and beauty product departments full of expensive goodies.
• Beauty Joint   Beautyjoint.com is my one stop shop for all things cheap. Literally the cheapest products i've ever seen! With Revlon Nail polish at 3 dollars a pop you cant go wrong. Shipping is a bit pricey but everything else is so cheap that i dont even mind!

Shopping Philosophies: a shopaholics guide to spending!

I'm sure i'm not the only one out there who has a slight addiction to spending my hard earned pennies on fancy things, however I have realised that constantly spending isn't the greatest thing, I've come up with some rules that I attempt to follow when i'm buying!

1. Don't spend unnecessary money on 'on trend' items    while they may be pretty at the time ask yourself if its worth paying a lot of money for something you may only wear for one season, buy them for as cheaply as possible and splurge on classic items that you can wear for many seasons to come
2. Shop around!   I will never understand people who find something they like and simply purchase it then and there, shop around to find better deals before making a purchase because unless its a designer bag i can guarantee you'll find it cheaper somewhere else
3. Shop online   It is so easy these days to purchase things online, not only are they usually cheaper and with more variety but some online stores even deliver in 3 hours which means you can have the same instant gratification of normal retail shopping!
4. Look for coupon codes    This one sounds a bit silly but whenever i'm buying online there are always coupon codes somewhere that can get often get you some percentage off your total order or at least get you free shipping. Usually i'll google whatever online shop that I want to buy off and search for its name followed by 'coupon code' or 'discount code' and something almost always pops up!

So hopefully these tips and tricks will help you when your spending money, if you have any other tips feel free to share them below as I would love to know!