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 

April Roundup

I still feel like its March, even when I went to type the title of this post I wrote March Roundup, looked at it for a while trying to figure out what was wrong and then finally realised we are not in fact in March but well and truly through April. It has seriously just flown by! Enough about how I can't keep track of months and onto my favourites.

Mac Sable

Sable is a new purchase for me. Its a medium warm brown with a subtle sheen to it, its not shimmery or glittery which I love its more a frost finish. I've been using this on a tapered blending brush along the lash line as a sort of smudged out liner. Its super pretty and super creamy which is another plus for this shadow. If your just starting out with Mac eyeshadows, sable is one that looks great on its own all over the lid or blended in the outter corner over a lighter shade or as a liner, its pretty much an all purpose shadow which I love!

Eco Tools Brushes

I don't think I've mentioned this before but I'm actually starting a makeup degree in August. I've been doing my close friends makeup before we go out of for occasions for years but recently I've been having people from work or friends of friends asking me if I could do their makeup! On my friends, I just use my own brushes that I just spot clean, purely because we share everything anyway and I didn't even really think about it. When it came to doing peoples makeup that I didn't really know I felt like I needed to invest in a few brushes I'll be buying an entire new brush roll for the degree so theres no point getting too many now that I could use on other people (and properly wash and clean between uses) until I get my new set. The Eco Tools brushes are ones that I'd heard heaps of great things about, plus they were 25% off when I went to purchase them. These brushes are amazing, so much so that I repurchased the ones I bought to use on others so I could have some for myself. They are so soft and work so well at blending colours on the lid. I'm super impressed with these and considering the price tag I feel like they are a complete bargain.

YSL - Forbidden Burgundy 

The weather is slowly starting to get colder which means I'm breaking out the bold lip colours again. However I'm not going full on dark yet as its probably not wintery enough for full blown deep plum lips. The YSL lipstick in Forbidden Burgundy is a perfect example of how a really dark lip colour can be used by just dabbing it onto the lips and not applying it as you usually would. When applied lightly its a gorgeous sheer burgundy colour, adding slight colour to the lips and being super wearable for the day time. This lip colour is an all around favourite for me when applied in any way its just so creamy and moisturising. 

Watch - The Horse

I got a new watch this month don't worry I'm not neglecting my Marc Jacobs one. This new addition is more manly and much larger then any watch I've owned, ever since seeing Claire Marshall or Hey Claire on youtube wear an oversize watch I've been lusting after one. I wanted something that wasn't chunky around the wrist but had a large face instead and when I saw this beauty from The Horse last month I knew I had to have it. It looks so nice with chunky knits or simply with a plain white tshirt as a bold accessory. I'm in love!

Ebay Selling - Tips & Tricks

My name is Elizabeth and I am a hoarder of material possessions. Okay, I wouldn't go that far but I seriously have acquired a lot of stuff in my 21 years which is now starting to overcrowd my tiny little room. My friends had all suggested that I sell the good stuff on eBay and see if I could make a little money seeing as I'd spent so much on it all in the first place may as well get some of it back. 

When they said to sell it I thought it would be a lot of effort for little to no reward, I also thought it was going to cost me more money then I would be making but I was so wrong! It isn't hard at all, in fact it's probably very similar to running this blog actually, you just need photos and small descriptions to accompany your photos. It also is completely free to do, Ebay does take a small percentage of whatever you sell but it is a very small amount.

So far i've made nearly $500 selling shoes and bags and even some clothes that I've either worn once, or not at all. Some stuff even still had tags on them which is a sign that I buy too much stuff.

Here are 5 tips that I've learnt on selling things on ebay! :

1. Make sure your items are well photographed!

People want to be able to see exactly what they are buying, they don't want to pay for something only to receive something that didn't look anything like the picture. Use natural lighting if you can so they can see the exact colours and if you can't make sure that you say what the colours are in the description. 

For Example...

2. Use they fixed price option!

So far I've sold the most stuff through the fixed price option. Selling things via auction can be time consuming and can also mean that you won't get the price that you want. When you set a fixed price people can send you offers or a price that they are willing to pay based on the price that you've set. Its really handy and much quicker then sending things to auction

3. Be prepared to get to know your post office really well!

My post office workers and I know each other very well. I'm in there every couple of days buying postage boxes and sending things out, its pretty cute actually that they now know me as the eBay girl and get excited when I buy a large postal bag because they can tell I've sold something big! This however is the one downside to this selling process. In order to keep your customers satisfied you need to post things within at least 2 days of receiving their payment, depending on how much you're selling which for my was over 40 items it can mean constant trips to the post office which can become slightly annoying. However it is worth it in the end when you see your Paypal balance increasing as you send things off to new homes!

4. Write clear descriptions!

If you are unable to take clear photos I just use my Iphone and the photos turn out really well!  make sure your descriptions are well worded and very specific. If there is a slight stain or mark on something WRITE THAT. Don't trick people into buying your things it isn't nice! You'll be surprised what people will buy if you set a reasonable price and are honest with them. So a big tip is to use that description to your advantage!

For example the description I wrote for this dress was:

Finders Keepers blush pink and white studded dress. Brand new with tags still attached, never worn. Zip fastening down the back of the dress. Comes to just above the knee. 


5. Get a Paypal Account!

Having a Paypal has made things so much easier. You can just link your payments up to your account which is also much safer then just using your bank details. It also means that you can get insurance on your purchases which in turn makes your buyers feel more secure. Paypal just makes things much smoother and much easier when selling and even buying things on ebay!

I hope this helps you on your selling journeys with ebay!

La Roche - Posay Melt - In BB Cream Review & Photos

BB Creams arn't the newest of products but I feel like there are so many not so great ones on the market, which makes me keen to try as many as possible until I find a good one. The concept of a BB cream is one that I tend to gravitate towards, they're supposed to even the skin, moisturise and also hide pigmentation. Previous ones that I've tried just leave a sticky orange film over my entire face, not pleasant whatsoever. 

La Roche - Posay is a brand that I adore. While it might be on the slightly more expensive side, their products are the epitome of no fuss and no irritation while still being able to maintain that luxurious feeling. When I saw that they were bringing out their own version of the BB cream I picked it up with no hesitation.

On the box it says that it covers blemishes, fine lines, brown spots while hydrating the skin. Like most of their products this BB is fragrance free, paraben free, non comodogenic and hypoallergenic, which is lovely to hear for a product that I'm hoping to be using on my skin every day.
The consistency of this BB cream is quiet light, but still feels like your applying something a little heavier then just a moisturiser. Coverage wise it really does even the skin tone and leave you with a pretty flawless base. It doesn't however cover blemishes that well, while it remove redness from blemishes they are still pretty noticeable which was something that I was expecting. However this doesn't bother me at all because popping a bit of concelear on top is no issue for me.

BB Cream on its own

These are photos of the BB cream on my skin with no powder or any other makeup on my skin. As you can see its a really great match for my skin tone which is a first as BB creams never ever ever match my skin. I thought it was going to be slightly too dark for my but after applying it to the skin it blends in beautifully.

Like all BB creams that I've tried it doesn't really "dry" instead it left my skin with a dewy finish, but not in a bad way. Instead of being shiny on the skin it just looks really glowy and healthy on the skin.

BB Cream with the rest of my makeup

 As a base product it works really well. I just applied a bit of powder over the top just to remove a bit of the shine purely because I'm not a fan of a really dewy skin. I also chucked on some bronzer and blush just to finish off my face and I have to say I really like it.

It works really well as a "no makeup makeup" look as you can barely see it on the skin. It just enhances the skin and makes it look really healthy and glowy.

 Overall I really like this BB cream, it doesn't have the greatest coverage but for me it has enough!