Haul: Priceline 40% off.

Priceline recently had one of their famous 40% off sales. I had been eyeing off some stuff, and this was perfect timing to pick it up.

I only ever go into priceline with a list when these sales are on, otherwise there's the potential for things to get out of hand.

So I ended up getting:
- Revlon Colourstay cream foundation
- 3 Rimmel 'The One' lipsticks
- 4 Revlon Ultra HD Matte lipsticks
- 3 Essie nail colours
- Rimmel 'Brow this Way' brow powder kit.

And, I didn't pick this up in the sale, but I recently purchased the Nivea Men Post Shave Balm, after hearing for months about how great it is as a primer. I'm not convinced yet, but still testing it so we'll see.

Did you pick up anything in the Priceline sales? 




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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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Review: Revlon Ultra HD Lipsticks

 

It's no secret that I love Revlon's lipsticks, so I couldn't help but pick up some of their lippies from the 'Ultra HD Lipstick' range last time Priceline had their 40% off make-up sale. 

There's 20 shades in the collection, each named after a different flower. I decided on Rose, a natural pink, Azalea a bright cool pink, and Poinsettia, a red. 

These lipsticks are "revolutionary" because they are a wax-free, gel formula that leave your lips beautifully coated in colour without that "heavy" feeling you might get with other lipsticks. 

 

 

So first up; the packaging. these lipsticks are housed in a silver bottom with a clear, plastic cap. The 'bullet' part of the lipstick is cleanly cut in a slant. The most annoying part about the packaging is that the actual lipstick comes out just above the silver casing, which makes it way too easy to hit it when you're putting the plastic lid on. All three of my lipsticks have nicks taken out of them because of this.

 

Top row: nude lips, Rose. Bottom row:  Azalea, Poinsetta. 

I really like the colours of both Rose and Poinsetta, and think they're both quite work-appropriate. I'm still a bit uncertain about whether Azalea works with my skintone, but I think I like it. 

The texture of these is balmy, but not that moisturising. If you have dry lips, these will cling on to dry patches, so make sure you exfoliate and moisturise well before application. Each of the lipsticks I own are really pigmented, but they don't last that well and I find myself having to reapply often (after an hour, maybe two). You can forget about eating with these.

TL;DR? In a nutshell, these are nicely pigmented, although the colour doesn't last long and they are balmy, without actually being moisturising. 

These are honestly not worth the price that is being asked for them in AUD, and are a little bit of a letdown. Revlon have so many other amazing options for lips, that I would pass these up. 

4/10 do not recommend.

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What's in my Rubbish Bin? #3

There's something so damn satisfying about seeing so many products totally used up.

I am always so sad when I finish a tub of the Macadamia Oil Deep Repair Masque - this product does wonders for my hair. It's a bit expensive at $32 for 250mL. It is a lot easier to get your hands on these days - when I first started using this I could only get it from Beauty Bay. Now it's stocked at Woolworths! I haven't repurchased this yet because I'm working through some other hair products, but I definitely will be buying this again. 

The Swisspers Dual Cosmetic Tips are absolutely essential to have on hand when doing eye make-up (especially when doing winged eyeliner!). These have a flat oval pad on one end, and a pointy tip at the other end. So versatile, I will forever repurchase these.

 

I've finished up two primers lately; the Face of Australia Face Base Primer and the Make-up Store Vitamin Day Primer. 

The MUS primer is really rich, very moisturising and my favourite primer ever. Unfortunately, it's also discontinued. I hate when companies do that. 

The FOA primer is a dupe for Napoleon Perdis' Autopilot primer. I used to love this, but I think now my skin needs something more hydrating - I find this leaves my foundation looking worse-for-wear at the end of the day. So I won't be repurchasing this one. 

I have finished up the Revlon Photoready concealer - I really like this concealer for my under-eye area. It's creamy and covers up dark circles well, without settling into fine lines. I don't love it as much for covering up blemishes - it tends to cling to the skin, and make pimples look scabby, so I avoid it for that use. I have already repurchased this.

 

 

Brush cleansers! I really like how effective the Napoleon Perdis Brush Cleaner is - it spot-cleans my brushes really well. I just totally resent paying $40 for 250mL when I'm positive the main ingredient is alcohol. For that reason, I won't repurchase it. 

I have also recently finished up the MAC Brush Cleanser -  This retails for $20 for 235mL. I hate the packaging for this - the lid leaks way too easily, which wastes a great deal of product. I also feel a bit 'meh' about the product. It doesn't do a great job at spot-cleaning - it just doesn't get the colour out when using it to clean eye brushes, and it doesn't effectively clean my foundation brushes. So I won't be repurchasing this ever again. 

In better review-news, I freaking love the Loreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil - this is the original formula; they've since released a few different ones. I love this and use it constantly on my hair - after straightening, before blow-drying, after blow-drying, when it's just feeling dry. I love how this restores the smoothness and shine to my hair. I have repurchased one of the other formula types, but I will definitely return to this original one. 

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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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The Ultimate, Glittery Party Nails!

I was pleasantly surprised with how pretty this nail polish combo turned out - I wore this for NYE (which feels like ages ago now), and the whole week following. I received so many compliments on this nail polish, it made me sad when it started to chip off (one of the disadvantages of working in retail)

OPI's 'Ogre-the-top Blue' is the base colour, (two coats) with one coat of Revlon's 441 in Radiant painted over the top. 

Sealed with a top coat to prevent chipping and to smooth out the nails - this also ensures there's no glitter chunks sticking up to get snagged. 

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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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Midi Ring Love

I am obsessed with midi rings lately. I think they look so cute, and there's so many different designs out there. The obsession started with the infinity ring above, which I got in my Her Fashion Box when I first signed up. I then picked up a couple more on sale at Lovisa. 

On my nails in these photos are the Revlon Parfumerie nail polish in Bordeaux (the red) and Spun Sugar (silver). I picked these two colours up in a two pack at Target on sale for $10. Considering they retail for $15 each, that was a bargain too good to pass up!

I just want to go out and get more!

What are your thoughts on midi rings? Do you wear them?




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Review and Swatches: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms (and GIVEAWAY!)

Earlier on in the week, I wrote about the new Revlon Lacquer balms. I've also already written up a preliminary review on these, if you want to check that out here.
It's well documented on this blog how much I love matte lips, so matte lip crayons?? These were practically made for me!

I don't have anything more to say on the packaging, than what I've already said. I love lip crayons. I love the sleekness of these. I love the matte-ness. I have nothing to fault.

(L-R: 230 Complex; 205 Elusive; 220 Showy; 240 Striking; 250 Standout; 215 Shameless)

(Top: natural lips (no product); Bottom: 230 Complex)

Complex is a peachy nude. I thought it was a bit more pink when I swatched it on my arm in the store...

I honestly am unsure about this colour. I have tried and tried, and I think it just doesn't work with my colouring. I was really hoping this would be a good matte nude, but I think it's a bit too peachy for me. 

(Top: 205 Elusive; Bottom 220 Showy)

Elusive is a cool toned light pink. I love this colour so much more than I thought I would! This is really office appropriate; it's not quite nude, but it's not a really bright colour either. This one is definitely in the running as one of my favourites. 

Showy is a bright, blue-based pink. This colour is lots of fun, and I've loved wearing this with the sunny days we've been having lately. 

(Top: 240 Striking; Middle: 250 Standout; Bottom: 215 Shameless)

These are both beautiful reds! I think striking is a cool-red, as it almost shows up with an orange hue on my lips. 

Standout is a gorgeous, deep berry red. This one is also in the running as one of my favourites. I did find however, that I needed to re-apply this colour quite frequently to keep the intensity up, which is kind of annoying.

I featured Shameless in a face of the day not too long ago. This colour is the most intense of all the matte balms, being a deep purple. I bought this one on a whim, not knowing if I could pull it off, but it's definitely one of my favourites for something different. I love the slightly vampish look this gives, and I'm always a fan of a dark lip. This does not last at all when eating or drinking though, and comes off pretty easily. 

Overall, I really love these. They aren't that long-lasting though. I was kind of let down by that; I found I was reapplying every 2 hours to stop them from going sheer. Some of the colours came off completely when eating or drinking which is a bit of a shame. They are really hydrating though, and feel like a balm on the lips (not that the name gave that away or anything). There is a slight peppermint smell, but I think it's a lot more subtle than some of Revlon's other lip products. There's also a wide variety of shades so I really think there's something for everyone! 

AND! Now for a sneaky giveaway! I love these so much that I wanted to give some to one of you guys! 

I have 220 Showy, and 135 Provocateur (from the lacquer range...check out this post if you missed it for more details). To enter, all you need to do is fill out the rafflecopter below!

 (I know, I know. But it makes it super easy for me to keep track of all your answers, and I swear there's not a billion entries. All you need to do is leave me a comment and follow on either bloglovin or GFC! (Or both...you get an extra point for both) Too easy!)

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is international, and winners will be drawn on the 23rd June, 2014.
You must be over the age of 18 to enter, or have your parent's or legal guardian's permission. All entries will be checked and verified. The winners will be decided on 23rd June, 2014, based on creativity of response, at the judge's discretion. The winners will have 24 hours to respond, and if no response is given, a new winner will be drawn. The prize will be mailed out using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winners would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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Chemist Warehouse Haul

Chemist Warehouse are having 50% off Revlon, Rimmel, Maybelline, Sally Hansen so of course I had to stop buy and pick up some things I've been eyeing off for a while. (NB: Sale is on until Thursday 29 May)

Revlon gentle eye make-up remover: This is one of my skincare staples. I've bought a billion of these bottles, and as much as it pains me to buy it now because of the new packaging, I just love the formula so damn much I can't live without it. Will probably forever repurchase this. 

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer: Everyone raves about this product, so I thought I'd pick it up and see how it goes. This particular one is the 'brightening / illuminating', and is slightly peach toned. It cancels out the purple under-eye circles really well, and I'm liking it so far. 

Revlon Photoready Concealer: This is a repurchase, as I've almost finished mine. This concealer is really creamy, and I find it really moisturising on my under-eye area. I also like using it as an eye primer. 

Sally Hansen big matte top coat: I have been fascinated by this for ages, but always talked myself out of buying it. I love gimmicky things though, and I love them even more when they're 50% off. This top coat is awesome, and I will be doing a full review on this soon. 

Sally Hansen advanced hard as nails strengthener: I've been painting my nails heaps lately, so they've started peeling and aren't in the best condition.I thought I'd pick this up to see if I can re-strengthen them. 

Revlon Parfumerie scented nail enamel: I bought one of these in pink pineapple to wear to mum's wedding back in April, and I was so totally blown away with the scented aspect of this (although it is a bit weird to be seen sniffing your fingers, or even worse...telling people to have a sniff) I picked up China Flower, which is kind of a minty scent, and tropical rain, which I haven't applied yet so I have no idea what that smells like. 

One of the dilemmas I face with buying these is, do you buy based off colour or scent? I really wanted to try the chocolate one but wasn't sure if I liked that nail colour. What do you think? 

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