Her Beauty Days

Limited (trend) edition with Justin Bieber thrown in the mix? You've got yourself a winner.
Just...kidding. I honestly have a love/hate relationship with the beibs.
However, I just couldn't pass up on these newly released edition from one of my favourite brands Essence featuring the boy/man himself.

Would you look at that?!


All of the Essence products mentioned in this post are made in Poland.
To see if your Priceline store is stocking this trend edition, please refer to Essence Australia's Facebook.

Pretty sure you've all heard about the amazing 40% off beauty sale Priceline hosted last week!

I was there alright, at midday and my, what a crowded scene it was. A bit cray-cray, I might emphasise.
My friend, being a guy, received this sale to be quite hilarious; there's a lot of females all in one place.

I entered the store, just to pick up a few items I'm interested in and left with a lot more than I expected!
Basically, I put in everything that I wanted to try in the cute basket given to me by the sales assistant.

I present to you the haulage:


Face products

1. Australis Fresh & Flawless Pressed Powder in Deep Natural
Why didn't I discover this earlier? I love it so far; love the inclusion of the mirror and sponge (underneath the pan of powder) and of course, the actual product itself!

2. Maybelline Dream Pure 8-in-1 BB Cream in Light
I've already tried the medium shade, loved it, so I'm picking up the lighter shade because the former is a bit dark for me.

3. & 4. Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation in 100 Ivory and 103 True Ivory
My first foundation! I tend to steer clear of Rimmel's face products but after seeing the princess-themed advertisement, I was lured in. 103 True Ivory was the closest shade to my complexion and 100 Ivory  would be perfect for those days when my face becomes more paler.


Lip products

5. Maybelline Color Sensational Vivids in 910 Shocking Coral
One of my favourite yet unique shades I already have in my collection. Repurchasing this shade because I'm actually running out of the lipstick. Read my review here (it's actually one of my first posts!).

5. L'Oréal Color Riche Made For Me Intense in 370 Crazy Fuchsia
I'm a crazy lover of pink lippies; I'm so glad I picked this up - it's becoming a favourite of mine!

6. L'Oréal Colour Riche Caresse Wet Shine Stain in 102 Romy
I heard these were a probable dupe for YSL (Yves Saint Laurent) Glossy Stains, I love stains and a bit of gloss so I had to try these!

7. Maybelline Color Sensational High Shine Gloss in 90 Electric Shock
This shade is just gorgeous. I think there's something youthful about sporting a pink lip gloss, what do YOU think?

8. Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon in 04 Peach on the Beach
I discovered this gem on Sleep and Water's blog. When I saw the shade in real life, I was quite surprised to see what a unique and beautiful shade it was; perfect for summer!


Other products

9. Face of Australia Gentle Make-Up Remover
This is a repurchase. Cheap, does a great job at what it's supposed to do and certainly of a gentle nature.
Comes pretty close to Lancôme's Bi-Facil - that's something quite notable.

10. L'Oréal Super Liner Liquid Eyeliner
I've seen this used by my mum a few times. Curiosity got the better of me; this had to come home with me.

11. L'Oréal Colour Riche Le Vernis in 601 French Riviera
A pretty baby blue polish with darker blue shimmers? How could I resist?!

And that concludes my haul!
I don't understand the relationship I have with sales. Please stop calling out to me!
Well done to those who are on or have completed spending bans!

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

Sigh.
I don't know what to feel right now.
Looking at all this, doesn't make me feel any better. I don't think I have a problem but I just need to focus on other things at the moment. Do you understand me?
Yes, yes. Call me crazy. I know you told me to stop, a trillion times.
You're not the only one who tells me that.

I keep telling myself to stop spending so much and save up.
However all these constraints upon myself were to no avail; I gave in to the occasional sales.
Many times I have considered going on a spending ban/project pan/saving up scheme, because there are much bigger things in life than the frequent beauty splurges and accumulating an array of beauty items, such as saving up for a house! (I wish).

Guilty as charged, I admit.
I'll just casually show you my stash, in hope for admiration for my efforts. I'm kidding, I really do enjoy reading about other people's hauls and it's an enjoyable process, when I get to feature my own.

First up, are the nail polishes.

I love new makeup releases! Essence cosmetics have released a new limited edition line - 'Me & My Ice Cream'. I got my friend to pick me up the above products for a very affordable price before any imminent tampering could be done to the products. I love these products (they're so cute) and will provide an in-depth review upon request.

Cheeky sales looming your way? You'll take the opportunity, I'd say!
(Well that's what I did).

In this post, I'll be imparting with you some Rimmel London lip and eye products from my recent haul.


First up we have the lovely lipsticks, the Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss lippies in the shades, #111 Kiss of Life, #106 and #101. I fell in love with the sassy red packaging, and being fond of matte formulas when it comes to lipsticks, I had to pick these up.


#111 Kiss of Life is a beautiful, bright classic red that compliments most skin tones. This is my favourite shade out of the bunch; perfect for those special occasions like on a dinner date for example.

#106 is a brilliant deep pink. I call this shade the more flirtatious and younger sister of #111 Kiss of Life. Appropriate for most occasions and a great bold alternative to the classic red.

#101 is a cool tone pale mauve-pink that looks beautiful swatched but once applied on my pigmented lips, makes me look a bit washed out. But with the addition of colour to my face, I think I can pull this off. My sister and friend think otherwise. This shade has the most drying formulas out of the trio; the product settles into the fines, distastefully emphasising them. I suggest exfoliating the lips and applying a moisturising lip balm or plumping product prior to application.

The formulae of these matte lipsticks can be a bit drying but it is also dependent on the shade of the lipstick. Great pigmentation and if you're a fan of fruity, artificial melon scents, then this one's for you.
On the downside, this product is definitely not "kiss-proof"; if you're planning to get frisky with a boy, I suggest using another lip product, as this lipstick transfers very easily.


Ah, the highly spoken, Apocalips Lip Lacquers. I picked up the shade #500 Luna on asos after observing its absence in Australian stores. This is a beautiful peachy coral colour leaning more towards the orange side. Initially, I was very excited to try this product out after reading numerous posts raving on what a great pigmented lip gloss this was. Well, based on my own experiences, this has got to be possibly the worst lip gloss I've tried. The colour is highly pigmented swatched on my arm but once applied on the lips, oh my... The finish is non uniform in appearance. This lip product is excellent in accentuating my lips in the most unsightly manner; it clings onto dry patches (I didn't know I had), did not adhere to my lips properly and sinks into lip lines. Adding to much product on made my lips look like I had a viscous peach coloured slime slapped on - very unflattering and tacky, and of course sticky.
This product is the first product I've tried to appreciate; I've given up and I think the formula is a huge failure. Likewise to the Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss lipsticks, you can expect the same melon scent in this product.

I welcome August, with another empties post from the previous month, July.
Originally planned to be posted on the first, I've engaged in a tumultuous relationship with work and illy constructed uni schedules, which retarded the release of posts.
Aside from that, I must admit, I enjoy constructing these empties posts, as the process enables me to evaluate on the finished products. Consequently, I enter a phase of rumination; involving the circulating queries, should I repurchase this? Did it work for me? Can I find a more suitable alternative?

I also find this process to be on the hilarious side. Never, did I consider putting so much effort in critiquing products, questioning it's performance.

Well here it is.
Let me present to you, those who've finally made it to the finish line, the empties of July 2013!

Palmolive Naturals Revitalising - Peach Kernel Oil with Vitamin-E & Rose Water Shower Gel (500 mL)
This is a one of my favourite shower gels, being possibly the third bottle I've finished. Despite the large illustration of a peach on the bottle, it doesn't smell anything like peaches. Expect a heavenly scent, quite hard to describe. It lathers well and makes me feel refreshed and relaxed. In addition to the positive points, it's inexpensive and is of great value for money. And if you're wondering, the gel of a colour that matched the lid of the bottle (pale orange). When the time comes, which involves myself languishing for that lovely scent, I'll be repurchasing this product until then.


Biorè Skin Preservation - Clean Things Up Nourishing Gel Cleanser (200 mL)
I received this cleanser amongst other skin products from Biorè's Skin Preservation line, after winning a competition on Facebook. This cleanser "purifies and conditions without disturbing skin's natural moisture balance". This pretty much sums up the product's performance. A great everyday cleanser that will remove your makeup and environmental impurities. The pump dispenses just the right amount of product for each use, so you can use the product more efficiently, without any product going to waste. This bottle lasted me for quite a long time; I had this product since last year! The only thing I disliked was the scent; it's a fresh and clean scent (for some reason, it's just not up my alley). Unfortunately, I will not repurchase because of the scent.


L'Oréal Elvive Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz Shampoo (250 mL)
This is one of my favourite shampoos.
It helps my hair stay smooth and soft, consequently, helping me achieve "straighter" looking hair (albeit, I have naturally straight hair). Another reason to love this shampoo, is of course, the scent! I'm quite inept when it comes to describing scents but you can expect the same scent in other products in the Elvive Smooth-Intense Anti-Frizz range.


Ophelia Cotton Tips (200 pack)
Purchased this from good old ALDI. These 100% cotton tips are great for fixing up your eye makeup and are inexpensive. A cheap beauty essential!


Swisspers Spa Facial Cleansing Wipes with Pomegranate Extract (25 wipes)
These pink facial wipes (yes, they are indeed pink!) does a decent job at removing makeup without drying the skin. I was first attracted to the pink packaging and how these are "coloured" wipes. The actual wipe is durable and quite soft. Additionally, the pomegranate fragrance is quite pleasant and overall I had an "okay" experience with these wipes.
I will not be repurchasing these because I do feel that these wipes "stung" my face, on the rare occasion of course.

Swisspers Green Tea Calming Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)
I did a little review on this product in this post.
In summary, I think these wipes are the opposite of "calming" because they stung my face quite a bit. I did not experience any redness or rashes but I feel these wipes can be a bit harsh on sensitive skin. I've read a lot of positive reviews but do steer clear if you have the mentioned skin criteria (or "young" skin may I add).


Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30+
I received this generous sunscreen sample among four other different product samples from Neutrogena a few months back. I am quite in awe how this 14 mL sample lasted me for months, considering I apply this on under my makeup everyday. This sunscreen lotion breaks away from the stereotype that sunscreens are greasy, cakey, and are hard to blend. Application is smooth and a dewy finish is achieved. The consistency of the product is just right; it definitely gives a "lightweight, clean feel". What more could you possibly want from a sunscreen? Besides increasing the amount of SPF. But hey, Neutrogena has released a sunscreen from this range with an SPF 50+ so you can't complain here!


Essence Stay With Me Long Lasting Lip Gloss in 07 Kiss Kiss Kiss
This product was from one of my random purchases. Hello to the (pleasingly pigmented) bright red lip gloss that can be found at Target and Priceline for merely $3.50. Forget the stickiness commonly associated with lip glosses and expect a smooth and moisturising application. If you have a sweet tooth, you might have to restrain yourself...This lip gloss is indeed "candylicious".



Maybelline Define-A-Lash Volume Mascara
Unfortunately, this product did not fare well with me. An average mascara that yielded no volume for my straight Asian lashes, but hey, you can expect a clump free finish to your lashes. Ladies of other ethnicities may encounter a much more positive experience. I must give credit to Maybelline for their unique mascara wands that differentiate them from your typical wand; this wand resembled a caterpillar! A word of caution though, if in a rush, you could easily damage this fragile, wiggly yet flexible wand. One must insert it back into the tube, oh-so-meticulously to avoid breaking off the tip.




Softlips Lip Protectant Fruit Fusion in Orange Sunrise (2g)
After finishing up the vanilla flavoured lip balm from this brand, I picked this orange flavoured one, thinking I'd have the same enjoyment in using it as the former. It must've been on the spur of the moment, when I carelessly purchased this without considering if I actually like citrus based scents/flavours. Well, forshadowed earlier, you can deduce that I did not enjoy this product at all. Nevertheless, I still used it until I've reached the finish line (much to my relief) so I can finally dispose of it without those pangs of guilt. Expect your average lip balm but with much less product, infused with the scents of citrus fruits.


Gaia Skincare Pink Grapefruit & Jasmine Foaming Cleanser
(With certified organic green tea, gotu kola, chamomile)
This is a sample sachet of a cleanser that claims to be suitable for normal/combination skin, formulated with sensitive skin in consideration. After just a single use, I found that this is a great cleanser and is perfect for my skin type (combination/sensitive). I highly endorse "natural" skincare products because of the claims they are associated with e.g. pure, natural, organic, free from soap, sulfates, petrochemicals, artificial fragrance, paraben preservatives and the list goes on!
The only downside is you can forget expecting those lush artificial scents. This cleanser emits a herbal scent that is quite received with other natural skincare products.


Pantene Pro-V Clinicare Single Dose Intensive Treatment Programme Rinse Off Treatment
I like the scent and that's pretty much it. I did not notice any difference to my hair; my hair is already semi-smooth and conditioned prior to using this product. Maybe, those lacking a bit of a conditioning boost will benefit from this. This product serves to be a mediocre conditioner for me.


Colgate Plax Fresh Tea Mouthwash
Finished a bunch of these samples.
I've posted up a detailed review here. To sum it up, this is a great tasting mouthwash minus the sting factor associated with alcohol mouthwashes (because it's alcohol free!). I've already repurchased a 500 mL bottle of this.

And that's it!
I'm impressed with the number of products I've used up this month.
Quite frankly, it was fun and I can't wait to finish up more products so I can construct this month's empties post!

After thoughtful consideration, I'm eager to construct a monthly favourites post as well - so I can reflect on the products I've been loving this month!
But I'll see what I can do!

I hope you enjoyed this post.
Have a beautiful day everyone!