What's in my travel make-up bag: Weekend Edition

A couple of weekends ago, J and I took a very quick trip down to Canberra, to help celebrate his mum's birthday. We literally weren't even in Canberra longer than 24 hours, but we were going to be going out for lunch so I did need to look somewhat nice.

I brought the bare necessities with me, basically whatever could fit into a tote bag.

 

Base: Australis Primer, the Original, Revlon Colourstay (not pictured) 

Face: NARS blush in Amour, Make Up Store microshadow in Meteor for highlight

Concealer: Maybelline Age Rewind and Revlon Photoready 

Eyes: Inglot four-pan eyeshadows (review here), MAC paint pot in painterly, Maybelline the falsies mascara, Kat Von D tattoo liner

Eyebrows: Australis Oh Hai Brow eyebrow kit

Brushes: Sigma P86, Sigma P84, Zoeva 122, Ecotools eyebrow brush, Make up Store 106, Zoeva 105, Sigma F80 (not pictured)

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Lately, in Pictures #71

I've been away for a while. 

We have spent the last three weeks moving house.

We only had a week's notice to pack up everything, book removalists, and all that other stressful stuff that comes with moving. This coupled with a few really busy weeks at work have left me with no free time to even think about blogging, let alone plan and write some posts. 

But we're settling in nicely now - almost every box is unpacked, and our new house is finally starting to feel like a home. I'm so looking forward to jumping back in to blogging - I'm almost surprised at how much I've missed it! 

I returned to Wollongong a few weekends ago for Cailin's wedding. She was absolutely stunning, and it was such a fun wedding; lots of dancing to T.Swizzle. 

Elimination diet is going well. I'm really lucky that my bestie's little brother is a butcher, and was able to make up some special recipe chicken sausages for me. They have been an absolute saviour with the move. It took us a while to unpack the kitchen properly, and having these snags on hand to defrost and quickly fry up with some brussels sprouts saved me a lot of stress. 

As I was packing, I cleared out some of my beauty items. Was a bit surprised to find so many mascaras stashed in my drawer. Almost all of them went straight in the bin (way too old to use without the risk of an eye infection). I think I need to branch out from Maybelline mascaras. 

Scored a second Billy bookcase on gumtree for $5! One day I want an entire library room. 

And rounding this post off with a pole update. This move is the 'Allegra', and it's one of my favourites when done by someone bendy. Now that we're settled, I'm really going to re-focus on stretching every night - although the cold makes doing anything seem impossible.

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Sunday Pamper

 

 I love spending my Sunday night preparing for the week ahead; I try to prepare myself for a busy week by spending Sunday really relaxing before I go to bed, and pampering myself. 

This past week, after a really hot shower (and lots of moisturiser after) I cosied up on the lounge with the latest Elle magazine, and a face mask. 

I am currently using the Rejuvenating Masque from Milk&Co. This mask uses fruit extracts, vitamin E and green tea extract to exfoliate and smooth the skin. It warms up on the skin after application, which is a little bit uncomfortable, but totally normal. I found this mask really purifying - which means I did have a couple of pimples surface the day after using it.

 

I also take the opportunity on Sunday to give my hands and feet some love - I always do a fresh manicure for the week ahead. This involves lots of hand cream. This week I coloured my nails in 'Iced Queen' from Maybelline Colour Show - it's a fresh purple.

I also give my feet a good scrub with the Scholl Dry Skin Recovery Cream - this exfoliates and smooths your feet at the same time; done regularly it leaves your feet smooth and beautiful! 

How do you pamper yourself during the week?

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Haul: Priceline 40% off Sale

Even when I feel like I'm restraining myself, I somehow manage to always walk out of Priceline's 40% off sales having spent more than I intended.

There were many more things I convinced myself to not buy than what I did buy, so I am happy about that. Sometimes Priceline's catalogue sales are actually better than 40% off (e.g. when their Maybelline mascaras are $10) so I tried to not get swept away in the hype.

I picked up two colours from Essie's Autumn collection; Dress to Kill (on the left) and the Perfect Cover Up (on the right). TPCU is a really beautiful deep, dark green that almost looks black in low lighting. I was also especially drawn to 'Rule of Plum' from the Sally Hansen Autumn collection. 

Revlon released some new lipsticks; the 'HD Lipstick', so of course I had to get a few shades. I think it's a bit cute that every shade in the collection is named after a flower. 

I was thrilled that my local Priceline still had plenty of the 'Miss Manga' Loreal mascara - I am really keen to test the 'Mega Volume' claims.

Annnnd some practical purchases - I always take these sales as an opportunity to stock up on my favourite foundation (because I refuse to pay RRP and it's always amazing to have backups on hand). 

I have actually been loving the Loreal Volume Million Lashes mascara the past few months, but it was nowhere to be found in-store. So I picked up the trusty old Maybelline Falsies. 

Can you tell I like volumising mascaras? 

What did you pick up in the sales? Share your haul with me in the comments below! 

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What's In My Rubbish Bin? #2

My last empties post was almost an entire year ago! I should probably make an effort to do this more regularly, because I would have just collecting rubbish, without realising how extensive the pile had become. I have 11 empties to share with you! 

Sally Hansen Strengthening Nail Polish Remover

Manicare Nail Polish Remover

I don't really understand how the Sally Hansen polish remover is strengthening when it contains quite a lot of acetone, but alas that is the claim that they make. I liked both of these - the Manicare one didn't have any acetone, but I personally prefer to use nail polish remover that does contain it, so SH wins this round. I have already purchased a new bottle of the SH. 

Loreal Gentle Eye Make-up Remover

This featured in my last empties post, where I proclaimed my love for it, so it's really not surprise that it has shown its face around here again. I did lament in my last post about the disappointment of the new packaging, so for now I'm going to steer clear of re-purchasing and try out what else is out there. 

Priceline Round Cotton Pads

I really didn't like these. I usually buy the Swisspers ones, but these were cheaper so into my basket they went. Unfortunately, they separated upon getting wet, and left cotton-y bits everywhere. Not a fan, won't repurchase. 

John Frieda Radiant Red Daily Conditioner

A friend at work gave me this when I dyed my hair red, as she had it sitting around at home and had no use for it. There was enough for three washes in there. I like how silky and shiny this leaves my hair, but I am dubious about the "colour magnifying" claims, as although the product is bright red, it contains no pigment. I will possibly purchase this and see how I feel about it after using a whole bottle. But only after I make it through whatever other conditioners I have in my shower. 

L'occitane Almond Shower Oil

I have written about this before, in this post. I love this product so much. It smells beautiful, moisturises my skin and is incredibly luxurious. I actually repurchased the "eco" refill bag of this, so I just poured it into the old bottle, and still have some left over to refill once that runs out! 

Rexona Clinical Protection

I feel like I sweat more than normal people. Which is where this handy anti-perspirant comes in. I was pretty impressed with this, it seemed to work. It definitely works better when you follow the instructions and apply it at night. This is a cream product that dispenses out of the top grill like worms when you twist the bottom. I think though that the pressure must build up inside and the product works its way out the top somehow, because sometimes I would open it and there would be lots of cream smooshed into the lid. 

Make-up Store Vitamin Day Primer

I love this primer, and have already purchased another bottle. This is so hydrating, makes my foundation stay on all day and I don't get that weird "separation" that happens with some other primers. When I re-stocked the sales assistant told me they were discontinuing this, which makes me so sad. If you have any recommendations for primer let me know! 

Dove Silky Nourishment Body Cream

I love how easily and quickly this moisturiser sinks into my skin, making my skin soft without leaving it greasy. The tub packaging isn't that ideal due to contamination, but it does make it easy to get out a big scoop, and to use up every last drop. I only really use this on my legs but I did love it. Will probably repurchase. 

Stila Smudge-stick Waterproof Eyeliner

This eyeliner came with my Stila 'In the Light' palette. It's creamy, soft and glides on the eyes without tugging. This eyeliner is really pigmented - the colour is brown, but could almost pass for being black. I had about a centimetre left of product on this, when I accidentally broke it. I would definitely repurchase this, and would love to try some of the other colours that Stila have on offer.

Maybelline Eye-Studio Gel Eyeliner

This one technically isn't an empty, as it had gone dry well before then, so I decided to throw it out. This gel eyeliner is my go-to for creating cat eyes. Gel liner is generally a lot easier to work with than liquid liner, and this one in particular is really black, and stays on the lid for hours. I have already repurchased.

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Face of the Day: Rediscovering Old Favourites

I've been finding with the warmer weather that I've mostly been keeping my make-up quite simple, and my hair out of my face. 

I've been making an effort lately to go through my make-up collection and re-discover old favourites, and found myself falling in love again with the Stila 'In the Light' palette. 

Eye Base: Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Inked in Pink'
Eye Shadows: Stila Kitten, Champagne, Bliss (Review, Buy here)
Eyeliner: Outline with Maybelline Line Express, cat eye with Maybelline Gel Liner
Mascara: Colour Theory Mascara Plump*
Eyebrows: Australis Oh Hai Brow (Review, Buy here)
Lips: Maybelline ColourSensational The Elixir in Signature Scarlet.

How do you do your makeup as the weather heats up? 


(N.B: Products marked with an asterisk (*) were kindly given to me. All opinions are my own. For further information, please see my disclaimer. Links are not affiliate links)



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In My Travel Make-Up Case: Make-Up

This post is a follow on from this one, and I'll be talking all about what make-up I brought with me last week to Canberra, and what I found I used more than others. 

I kept all my make-up in the top big compartment, and a few smaller bits and pieces in the top tiny zippered compartment:

So in the small zippered part I kept: Maybelline HyperGlossy liquid liner. I love this product, but I think it irritates my eyes, so I don't use it too much. I brought my Body Shop brow gel (which is looking particularly disgusting...time for a new one?), the John Frieda Flyaway Tamer (This is for your hair and is an absolute staple for me!), Maybelline Colossal mascara, the Maybelline Instant Age Rewind under-eye concealer, Garnier Roll-On Eye cream, and the Lorac Behind-the-Scenes Eye Primer, which came with the Lorac pro palette. 

For eyeshadow, I brought both my Inglot 10 neutral palette, and the Inglot 4 palette. Together, these eye-shadows have almost every colour I could want while travelling (except for a black...) I also brought my eyelash curler. Although my Inglot 10 palette has a brow colour in it, I also brought my Body Shop brow palette. Which turned out to just take up space, because I exclusively used the one in the Inglot palette whilst I was away. So I'll definitely keep that in mind for  next time. 

For my face, I brought the Revlon Colourstay foundation, the Face of Australia FaceBase primer, the Australis Fresh&Flawless Pressed Powder, the Australis Conceal Correct 4-in-1 concealer correction palette. I love this because it has a green for covering red spots, and a purple for correcting under-eye circles. I also brought my Zoeva Mineral Highlighter - I really, realy love this, but I hate the packaging because it's so difficult to actually get any product out. For blush, I brought along NYX Mocha Blush - this is small, so is great for travel, and I just love the colour. 

I also brought my Revlon Photoready Concealer, which I find is a bit thicker than the Maybelline under-eye corrector. I also brought two travalo's with me, filled with Marc Jacobs' Daisy...and I can't remember what the other fragrance is. I think it's Versace Bright Crystal. Although I have a few of these all in different colours, I always forget what I've decanted...I should write it down. For contouring, I brought my trusty Make-Up Store compact powder in Chocolate. 

I brought a couple of lip products with me, just for a bit of variety (all Revlon, surprise, surprise). I brought the matte balm in Elusive, and three lip butters. Out of all the products I brought, I exclusively used 'Red Velvet' in the lip butter. I adore this colour, especially in the cold weather.

What are your must-have products when travelling? Are you like me, and bring more than you need, or are you able to control yourself?



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Face of the Night: Drama Eyes

I went out the other week to see some pole dancing with one of my good friends from uni. I was excited to leave the house, and took it as an excuse to have some fun with make-up. Ever since getting the Lorac Pro palette, I've really wanted to try out some of the darker shades it has to offer. I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. 

On my eyes I used the colours (in order from L-R) Deep Purple and Slate as the main eye colours, and blended them out with Espresso and Black. 

Slate didn't turn out as silver on my eyes as I wanted, so I patted some of this gorgeous colour across the top. This is Bloom's Pure Mineral eye shadow in Moonstone. I love this colour, it's so dramatic and really pigmented. 

I finished up with some Maybelline Eye Studio gel eyeliner, and these gorgeous false lashes by Blync (now Model Rock Lashes)

For my face I used Revlon's Colourstay foundation, but in a lighter shade to what I normally wear. I wanted to make my face as pale as possible to really contrast with my dark eye make-up. A little bit of NYX blush in Mocha to bring a bit of colour to my face, stopping me from looking dead. I've also really been loving Maybelline's Instant Age Rewind concealer under my eyes. A lack of sleep has made those dark circles darker than normal, but this product brightens the whole area up nicely! 

And that's it! I love how this whole look turned out.
Do you wear dramatic make-up when you go out, or do you tend to keep it more natural? 



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