The Lip Products Addict Tag

This tag is right up my alley, its all about your favourite lip products and lip products are something that I simply adore. So, onto the questions!

1. Favourite balm/treatment?

Nuxe Rev De Miel is by far my favourite lip balm/treatment. I feel like I'm always talking about it but that is because it is seriously that good. Whenever my lips are feeling really dry or are in real need of something extra swiping on a little of this fixes whatever lip issues that I'm having. Super rich, super hydrating it is just the best lip balm i've ever used.

2. Best eye-catching red?

Lady Danger by Mac is my go to eye catching red. It sits on the orange side of the spectrum which I find really flattering with my eyes and my hair colour. Its also something a little different to your average fire engine red. I tend to get a lot of compliments on it when I wear it which is always nice and as an added bonus its a matte formula which means it lasts for ages on the lips.

3. Best luxury & best drugstore?

YSL Rouge Velupte Burgandy is 100% my favourite luxury lipstick. I own a few other shades and I am just in love with the formula of them. They are so creamy and nice when you apply them, plus the shade range is also lovely. Because of the formula that aren't the longest lasting lip product but I'm not the type who minds a re apply every now and then.

The Kate Moss Lipsticks are a great drugstore alternative to the Mac lipsticks. They are super affordable and while they don't have the largest colour range they have some really great colours in there. The formula is really great and they also smell really nice, they are also long lasting which is really great from a drugstore product!

4. Best MAC lipstick?

I thought I'd throw a nude lip colour in here because all the others that I have talked about have been more on the bright side. Pure Zen is my everday orangey nude that I reach for whenever I want to look a little bit more polished.

5. The most disappointing?

I dislike everything about this Revlon Balm Stain. The smell is horrible, the texture is not nice and the colour comes off really horribly on my lips. It doesn't last more then 10 minutes as it just wipes away and the tube isn't full all the way when you first get it. I was so disappointed with this product that its put me off all of the other balm type products from Revlon.

6. Liner - yes or no?

Depends! Everyday nude means no liner for me, night out with a bold lip means a lip liner is a must. It stops the colour from bleeding and also means that it will last longer on the lips!

7. Best gloss?

Nyx Butter glosses are a really great and really affordable gloss. The reason that I have chosen these is because I hate glosses. You know those ones that are so sticky and horrible that your hair gets stuck in them? These are the complete opposite of that. Good enough to wear on their own or over a lip colour these butter glosses are exactly as the name suggests super buttery and smooth when applied. Great for everyday wear they have a colour for all occasions ranging from light nudes to deep plums!

8. Something extra!

I feel like every lip addict needs some sort of lip scrub in their lives. Whenever I'm going out and choosing to wear a bold lip I always make sure to give my lips a little scrub down just to ensure there is no icky skin around the edges of my mouth I know, gross. This one is a bubblegum one from Lush and it is AMAZING its pretty much just bubblegum flavoured sugar that you rub onto your lips then lick off. It leaves your lips smooth and ready for whatever lip product you want to apply!

Bellabox Australia: May Box Review

 When I picked up this months bellabox from my front porch the first thing I realised was how heavy it was the heavier the more products in my opinion which makes me really excited.

 However when I opened it I saw that the heavy item was a bar of soap....I hate soap. I'm more of a scented body wash/moisturising body wash type of gal because the thought of rubbing the same bar of soap over my body repeatedly really creeps me out. Moving on from the soap I was quiet happy with the other items I received!

Items I received in this months box were:

1. Appelles Rosemary Body Bar
2. Chapstick Lip Conditioner
3. Timeless Truth Face Mask
4. Wen By Chaz Dean Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner 
5. Sally Hansen Sugar Coat in White
6. Invisible Zinc Satchet

I'm sort of impressed sort of disappointed with this months box which seems to be a recurring problem for me and the whole bellabox thing!

DIY Distressed Denim

This might be the worst DIY post in the history of DIY posts. The reason for that is because I didn't realise that I was going to even make this post until after I had already completed the final product....I suck I know. I still thought I would show you how well they turned out as it may inspire you to give some new life to your old denim.

This might be the worst DIY post in the history of DIY posts. The reason for that is because I didn't realise that I was going to even make this post until after I had already completed the final product....I suck I know. I still thought I would show you how well they turned out as it may inspire you to give some new life to your old denim.

I love the boyfriend jean trend that has been around for a few seasons now, however I don't have the skinniest legs or thighs so anything slightly baggy just makes me look bigger then I already am. I do really love the look of distressed jeans especially when its done on skinny jeans. 

The jeans that I used are by Topshop, and are kind of in an awkward faded blue wash. I did wear them a few times when I first got them but they have been sitting at the back of me jeans draw for quiet some time.  I was originally planning on buying a new pair of jeans from Target, one that I could rip up and wouldn't mind how they turned out, but when I found these bad boys in my draw I just decided why not?!

I started by cutting a straight line across each of the knees because I knew thats where I wanted to largest cuts to be. From there I just pulled the white threads out, leaving the blue along the edges. This creates that frayed look around the knees which I really love. I also cut a few small bits along the rips so it looked more worn in. Its a lot easier to do if you use tweezers because then you can really see what you are pulling at. 

I then cut two smaller lines a little higher up the left leg. You then want to pull all the blue threads out from the top cut that you made. That way you are left with all the white elastic which gives the appearance of a tear! Once you get the hang of it it becomes super easy, it is also really easy to get carried away with the cutting and the pulling so make sure you have a clear idea of what you want the finished product to look like so that you wont go to far!

And that concludes the worst DIY post ever, sorry for lack of before photos and the lack of actual steps on how to achieve this, I might try this on another pair of jeans and when I do I'll be sure to do a proper post!

Everyday Makeup Routine

I haven't done an everyday makeup routine in a really long time, and the products I use now have pretty much all changed since then. The makeup that I do now I can have done in 10 minutes, its so easy and simple and perfect for those mornings when you can't be bothered to get ready. 

 The other great thing about this look is that it can be taken from day to night really easily by adding darker shadow or liner or by simply adding a bold lip!

I start out by prepping my skin with the Garnier Moisture Match Illuminating Light Lotion, which just gives my skin a glow. Perfect for mornings when my skin is looking a little dull and lacklustre. This is also great for no makeup days when your skin needs a little more life in it.

For my base I use my holy grail foundation product the Innoxa Skin Perfecting Foundation. I very rarely have breakouts the only skin issue that I face is slight redness on my cheeks. This product looks so natural on the skin and just evens everything out. I use this on a real techniques buffing brush which is amazing at applying any kind of base product. I then highlight and conceal under my eyes using the Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Eraser which I buff in using the Elf Small Stipple brush.

 Using an Elf Kabuki brush I use a small amount of the Rimmel Stay Matte powder, I usually only put this over my concealer and then accross my eyelids.

For the cheeks I use the Rimmel Natural Bronzer in Golden Bronze on a powder brush to lightly contour and add warmth to my face. I tend to skip the blush and opt for a highlighter instead, this one is from Topshop and is the Crescent Moon Highlighter. IT. IS. AMAZING. Seriously go buy this highlighter its incredible it leaves your face looking glowing and bright but not shiny and sparkly. I use this on a tapered brush again from Elf can you tell I really love the Elf brushes?!

Now for the most important part! The eyebrows!! I fill and shape them using the Mac Brow Crayon in Fling, I then go over them and brush them into place with the Gimme Brow fro Benefit. This combination is unbeatable for me and just makes my look more polished and put together instead of having unruly brows!

Onto eye shadow, I use the Nars duo in Portobello which has two really nice browny taupe colours both of which are matte. I use the lighter of the two on an eco tools brush to slightly define my lids. I then pat a little bit of the Topshop highlighter on the centre of my lids. To finish it off I apply a million coats or just under of the One By One mascara my Maybelline, not my favourite but it will do.

To finish everything off I apply the Korres Jasmine Lip butter for a little bit of pinky gloss to my lips!

There ya go! The finished makeup which is still natural but looks slightly more put together! I'm going to try and do these more often, or whenever my makeup routine changed significantly. For now this is my go to look and its one that I really love.

Australian "Drugstore" Haul

Here in Australia we don't have drugstores, well we don't call them drugstores anyway. The equivalent i'm guessing are places like Kmart and Priceline and Target. Most of the items that I bought are from Kmart and some are from Priceline. The reason that I'm so excited about it is because they have started stocking ELF!!! Up until now I couldn't find ELF anywhere in stores, I'd heard about it in some places but had never seen it for myself! The Kmart I went to didn't have the largest selection of ELF products but I ransacked what they did have!

From ELF

I only purchased three makeup items from ELF, they didn't have the largest selection of things. or the largest colour selection. I picked up one of the blushes in Candid Coral a gorgeous shimmery coral colour, a Long Lasting Lustrous Eye Shadow in Gala a gorgeous gel eyeshadow that blends really well all over the lid and the Eye Primer and Liner Sealer. The primer end of the stick is really nice, its a nude colour that cancels out any blue tones in your eye lid. The Liner Sealer however is not the best product. Its supposedly meant to turn any eye shadow into an eye liner but once its stained with one colour you can't remove it. Not the greatest. All of these were $8 each!

 I got another one of the ELF brushes because they are amazing for the price at $8 each they work just as well as the higher end brushes and they have so many to choose from. I got a small stippling brush which I used to buff out my concelear, especially when doing a highlighting and contouring look on the face this brush works so well for blending it all out.

From Kmarts Own Brand

I also found a little section that housed Kmarts own brand of makeup. First of all the packaging of it is really cute, it doesn't look cheap at all and considering the concelear was $3 and the eye shadow quad was $5 you would expect it to look cheaper then it does. These products are amazing! The concealer I got to use for contouring, its slightly too light for what I needed but it works well. The eye shadows are so creamy, so pigmented and such beautiful colours that I was not expecting it to be a Kmart brand. I'm definitely considering going back and buying more from the brand as I'm seriously impressed with it.

Other Random Bits

I picked up another Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water because I ran out of it and was having withdrawals. I also wanted to try the Yes To Cucumbers Face Wipes so I bought the travel pack. I also got another Katy Perry Purr 15ml to carry around in my handbag.

The Wish List #1

Making wish lists is one of my favourite things to do when I have no money. Its the same as adding a whole bunch of stuff into your ASOS bag and then staring it...then exiting the page because you cannot afford the $600 worth of clothes and shoes that you've added to your bag. I thought it would be a fun idea to do Wish List posts every now and then to show you what I'm lusting after but will probably not be owning in the near future, then if I do end up purchasing any of the items we can all be really excited together!

The first wish list post is all black...and that was simply a coincidence, I never even realised how much I liked black until I made this compilation of items. I'll also try and provide links to all the items incase you want to purchase them yourself!

1. Rebecca Minkoff Mini Perry Satchel - This bag is one that I fell in love with the second that I saw it. I originally was planning on buying the Michael Kors medium selma, however I cannot find the size I want anywhere...it simply does not exist! So instead I am seriously leaning towards getting this one! What are your thoughts? Should I get the Michael Kors? Or should I get this one?
2. Windsor Smith - Joyy Boots - I love how chunky these boots are! Im in kind of a boot obsession at the moment and these just look so cool! Not really sure if I could pull them off, but they are nice to look at!
3. Nars Limited Edition Final Cut Satin Lip Pencil Collection - These colours are beautiful, the bright pink one is a colour that I adore but the dusty rose colour is also one that I love, maybe one of these will be a sneaky purchase next month!
4. Alexander Wang Rockie Bag - This bag sends me into a deep sadness knowing that I will never in the near future be able to afford and own one of them. Everything about this bag draws me in. However my "focco" bag will have to do for now.
5. Windsor Smith Speck Boots - I'm attending the Arctic Monkeys concert in two weeks and when I saw these I immediately thought about wearing them to the concert...these are another pair of black boots but I just think they'd be perfect for winter! 
6. Nars Matte Multiples - The Matte Multiples scare the living daylights out of me...applying cream blush and cream contour in general scares me as every time I try them they just push all of my other makeup off my face. These just look so pretty and every time I swatch them I want to buy them all, they don't come cheap though so I think they'll stay on my wish list 
7. Nars Contour Blush - This is new to the Mecca website and it looks right up my alley. Its a contour and a highlight in one which is just so good because it means you don't need two products when you travel! This is a serious want by me at the moment as I am in need of anew contour shade anyway! 

Stay tuned to see if any of these items become a reality and not just a wish!

April Playlist

Last month there seemed to be an issue with my scheduled posts which meant that my March playlist didn't go up which I am sorry for! by the time I realised it was too late so I just decided to leave out my playlist for that month. So this month we are back on schedule with my monthly playlist for April.

As usual I will link the spotify playlist for April but I will still list all the songs below!

April Playlist - Spotify

1. Eve, The Apple Of My Eye - Bell X1 
2. Signal Fire - Snow Patrol 
3. Don't Hold Your Breath - Athlete
4. Flux - Bloc Party
5. Another Love - Tom Odell
6. I'm A Pirate, You're A Princess - PlayRadioPlay!
7. Eve - Lewis Mockler I absolutley adore this song, I cannot get enough!!
8. Holocene - Bon Iver
9. Moondust - James Young
10. I Won't Let You Go - Snow Patrol
11. I Need You - M83
12. Fight For You - Pia Mia, Chance The Rapper