September Favourites

Another crazy busy month for me has meant that I don't have too many favourites however the ones I am going to show you are pretty good ones!

Rimmel Sun Shimmer Instant Tan BB in Light Matte 

This stuff is incredible. I mean really incredible. It goes on so easily and blends so well into the skin. Another amazing thing is that it dries pretty much instantly which is something that I hate with other tans out there. This also a really nice colour on the skin it isn't too orange or green based like others and instead just looks like a golden glow. It also comes in a darker colour but I think this was just enough for me to take away my incredible paleness not that there is anything wrong with being pale!

Tend Skin 

This is a bit of a weird one and is probably TMI but I know i'm not the only girl out there with this problem! Whatever hair I shave no matter where it is the skin gets irritated and itchy after. This Tend Skin Solution has completely changed that. You just dab a little onto the area that you've just shaved warning it does sting ever so slightly and the itchy uncomfortable feeling just goes away!

Neutrogen Make-Up Remover Cleansing Wipes

I'm not the biggest fan of Neutrogena as a brand, everything I've ever tried has left my skin irritated or really dry or their products just don't do anything for my skin. These however are the exception! I got these as a sample in my Bellabox and used them because I ran out of my others. They take of eye makeup and face makeup with one swipe no need for rubbing or pulling at your skin. I will definitely be buying more of these.

Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara

This mascara isn't the greatest in the world but its been really good for my eyes this past month. I've been using a cheaper brand mascara for ages and have had really watery irritated eyes. I never realised why they were getting so irritated until I changed my mascara and my eyes went back to normal. This mascara does work really well though its just not the best one out there!

Zoeva Luxe Soft Definer

If I can't be bothered to do my eye shadow I grab this brush pick a neutral brown shade and just sweep it all over my lids blending it up into the crease and I'm done. It is not too fluffy which is something that I don't really like in a blending brush and is dense enough to actually blend the colour on the lid. I'd highly recommend getting some of the Zoeva brushes if you don't already as they are incredible and a really great price point!

Bellabox Australia: September Box

A very late and very light Bellabox arrived on my doorstep this morning and the first thing I noticed was the change in packaging which was then explained when I opened the box wardrobe malfunction they said! but that makes no difference to the box itself sooo onto its contents.

If you've been following my Bellaboxes for a while now you'll know that there are two things in this box that I will automatically throw out...the sachets have to go! I hate them. Anyway the other products are pretty good and overall I was impressed with this months offerings!

Setting Sprays: Nyx, MAC, The Body Shop & ELF

Setting sprays are a must in my makeup routine, purely because I hate a powdery finish on my face. I know that the obvious choice would be to simply not powder but whenever I'm wearing makeup it usually has to last more then 6 hours and without powder that just aint going to happen, so thats where the setting spray comes in!  I've used these 4 sprays so far see image below and I have 2 that I love, 1 that I really don't and another that that sits somewhere in the middle.

The Body Shop Vitamin C Energising Face Spritz

This is my 'in the middle' spray. It is amazing at refreshing the skin and making it feel hydrated again after a long day of wearing makeup, plus it smells amazingggg like seriously amazing. The only thing with this one is that it doesn't make your makeup last any longer and thats because it't not really a setting spray. Yes, it says that it can be used over makeup but it doesn't claim to make it last any longer. I use this on my skin before I apply my makeup to refresh my skin and then I use it over if I'm having a quick day in my makeup or I just want to freshen up throughout the day.

The Details:
Positives: Keeps makeup looking fresh
Negative: Doesn't make your makeup last longer

MAC Fix +

This is my favourite out of the whole bunch. Mac Fix + is amazing at setting your makeup and getting rid of the whole powdery finish on the skin, it literally makes your skin look just like skin even with makeup on. It also smells really fresh and really calming which is another thing I love about it. As far as making your makeup last it isn't the be all and end all of products but it does make a difference. Another thing that some people might not like is that it adds a real dewiness to the skin which I adore but if you have oily skin you might want to give this one a miss.

The Details:
Positives: Makes skin look amazing
Negatives: Doesn't have incredible longevity can make you little really dewy

Elf Mist & Set

This is my least favourite of the bunch, it has a really strange smell that I just can't get past, and when you're spraying it on your face it really isnt nice. It also doesn't make your makeup last any longer at all and it doesn't get rid of the powdery feeling.

The Details:
Positives: Its really cheap so if you're looking for a cheaper option this one is for you
Negatives: Unpleasant smell, doesn't have longevity

NYX Dewy Finish Long Lasting Setting Spray

This setting spray is the best out of the bunch for keeping your makeup on all day and I have tested this out many times on nights out. I don't know how but it is like a shield over your face that stops your makeup from budging. It also makes your skin look fresh and glowy, they also have the matte version which I haven't tried but apparently its just as good. The only downside to this is that every spray I've had is different, sometimes the packaging can be a bit off which sucks because it can spray out way too much product at one time. 

The Details

Positives: Makeup lasts all day

Negatives: Dodgy spray function

An Update.

I don't know why I felt like writing this was so serious because it really isn't but I just feel guilty about what its going to say! I need to shift the focus off my blog for a little while... everything has become so bonkers recently and feeling like I need to be writing as many posts as I do per month is starting to all get a bit much. I'm not saying that I wont even write or post again I'm just not committing to the 15+ posts that I have been doing for the last few months. So I'm sorry if this disappoints anyone but with all the crazy exciting bits that are about to happen in my life I need to not feel like blogging is a hassle.

I also am going to start incorporating a lot more life bits because apart from makeup I do a lot of other things that I find really fun and really exciting so doing 'vlog' type posts no I won't be filming I'm not that interesting just more daily updates and things because thats what I want to do!

Hope you understand x

Ben Nye's Neutral Set Translucent Powder Review

I was introduced to this product through my makeup course I need to stop talking about this course I know I know! and its one that I've never heard about before. I'd heard about the banana powder which I also purchased but not the neutral set. It's basically a huge tub of loose translucent powder and when I say huge I mean huge, you get 8 ounces of this stuff which will last you a seriously long time.

It is one of the best setting powders that I have ever used, not only does it set your creams to a complete matte finish but it is also completely translucent. There is no subtle hint of white powder on the skin once applied and I have used this on really dark skin tones all the way to my skin which is pale as pale can be.

The thing that I love most about this powder is that it is sweat proof and almost water resistant. I wore this to a sporting match on the weekend and sat in direct sunlight for over 2 hours with adequate spf of course, plus I wore it over a really dewy finish bb cream the la roche posay bb cream thingy! and the sweat didn't affect my makeup whatsoever. No sweaty upper lip could ruin my makeup that day and I was seriously impressed! Another thing that I loved was that I didn't even feel the sweat sorry if this is TMI but it's helpful to know! on my face at all. It was almost as if the powder was absorbing it all in a way without wiping any of the makeup underneath off.

There are only a few downsides to this powder that I've noticed. No. 1 is the smell,  it does smell a bit old lady and very powdery so just try and keep it away from your nose. No. 2 is that it is really hard to control the amount of product that you get on your brush because it is basically just in a tub and you dunk your brush in the massive amount of powder. I find swishing it around in the lid allows me to rid the brush of excess products without wasting it all.

One thing I will say is that this powder contains talc, which is an ingredient that people may be trying to avoid as it can clog pores and is "bad for your skin". I however use this powder over a moisturiser, primer, foundation and concealer so it is not directly in contact with my bare skin. I also cleanse my face every night with a pore refining cleanser and a mild exfoliant to ensure that my pores remained as clog free as possible. As long as you are not leaving it on your skin over night and not properly removing it I think it should be fine but thats just my opinion!

Overall I love this powder and I am so happy that I was introduced to it because it knocks all the others out of my beauty routine!

Start somewhere.

This post comes at one of the busiest times in my life, but also one of the most exciting. I've really struggled pretty much my whole teenage life with trying to figure out what it is that I want to do with my future. For a 14 year old that's kind of terrifying and it's one of the reasons I didn't do so well in school, I had absolutely no focus whatsoever. I hated all my subjects because I didn't feel like they were relevant or that I would use any of what I was learning when I did leave school. When year 12 came around and we were choosig university courses I chose all the ones that other people had told me I'd be good at, I didn't choose what it was that I wanted to do. That to me was a huge mistake and I would strongly urge all of you out there that when it comes to you don't listen to other peoples opinion on what it is you should be doing. You do you. Always and forever . And that's something that I only learned 6 months ago 

I was always so scared of what other people would say or think about my decisions when really it has nothing to do with them and once I figured out what it is I was passionate about they couldn't stop me anyway and all became really supportive of my choices. You have to not be afraid to just go for things and to not pay attention to there other people. Start somewhere. 

August Favourites

This month has been a stressful one for me and for my skin! On top of that its been a seriously busy month so I've been sticking to the products that are easy and quick and that I know will work for me and wont let me down. So onto the good ol' faithfuls that I have been loving this month!

Lorac Pro Palette

I only got this palette this month but I have not used anything else since I bought it. It has 16 shades in it all of which are completely wearable. I've been sticking to the champagne colour all over the lid and then the mauve colour in the crease. It's quick and simple and a combo that I can but on when I'm half asleep and not paying attention to what I'm doing something that I have been doing quiet a lot. 

The Body Shops Calming Camomile Cleansing Oil

Doing a makeup artistry course means that I'm having a lot of random new products applied to my face on a daily basis. This has been seriously effecting my previously clear skin. I've been getting weird bumps on my face not like pimples but like raised bumps that last about a day and then vanish over night. Using makeup removing wipes or even a cotton pad soaked in micellar water just doesn't cut it when I need to cleanse my skin. I need a heavy duty remover that can just go over everything and just melt it away. The cleansing oil really does that for me, it just removes everything from my face with little effort leaving it clean and makeup free. 

Laura Mercier Primer

I got a sample of this product this month and have been loving it. Unlike the Benefit Porefessional primer which gives your skin a completely new texture and can sometimes feel like its clogging up your pores a little bit this one from Laura Mercier feel almost like a moisturiser on the skin. It's light and doesn't feel like its sinking into your pores and clogging them up. For the long days I've been having I can seriously rely on this to keep my face in place all day. 

Elf Eye Lash Curler

I don't know what I was doing before this month but I wasn't doing something right thats for sure. I have relatively long eye lashes or so people keep telling me but they are really blonde on the ends so mascara is kind of necessary to fill in those ends and make them look fuller. But just because they are long doesn't mean they are curled, something I just assumed they were. I've had this little device sitting in my makeup draws since forever and only just started using it again and let me tell you the difference it makes is huge. My lashes look even longer and even flutterier is that even a word? probably not then before. I'm kicking myself for not cracking it out sooner!

L'Oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream

This product is a bit of a strange one. It has the consistency of Benefits Porefessional, as in when it goes onto the skin it just smoothes everything out. But what makes this different is that it has the slightest hint of coverage to it. I have mine in light to medium which for any heavier coverage product would be way way to day for me but this blends in perfectly as it is so sheer. Doing my makeup artist course means that there is not point applying makeup before I go to class as I'll just end up having to take it off anyway so this has been great at just evening out my skin tone and making me feel a little less naked on the face. It also works really well as a primer and as a base under even just a powder as it just evens everything out.

Thats all I have to share this month sorry for the lack of products I just haven't had time to use anything else! Next month I should have a heap of new items as I have bought so much stuff in the last week!