Last haul for a while! Holiday buys

I like to think that I'm all shopped out for a while.... now that I have basically anything I've ever wanted to add to my collection there is no need to buy anything for a loong time. Everyone was right about shopping in the US, everything is so cheap! Except there's one little thing that is not mentioned to often and that is service tax, a % charged on top of your purchase, for those who didn't know. But in the end that doesn't really matter too much because everything is much cheaper than home & it's just like if the GST wasn't included in our products.

So anyway, in almost each place we visited I went to Sephora more than once. My Fiancee didn't mind once he found out they had free Wifi so that was good to keep him happy while I shopped, and in some places where wifi was harder to find, he actually asked if we could find Sephora which is something I never thought he would say! So we both won. I also enjoyed visiting MAC on a few different occasions and loved what most of the drugstores had to offer. So let's stop blabbing & get into it!

**Disclaimer: Sorry for the huge post with lots of photos. Everything bought was paid for with my own money & over a period of 5 weeks. I'd hate to come off bragging which I'm not because I'm just so happy with my new goodies!

 Palettes: Wet n Wild Going into the Wild, Too Faced Pretty Rebel, Smashbox Masterclass Palette #2. I was kinda hoping that Urban Decay would have released a new palette that caught my eye, unfortunately not but when I saw the Too Faced & Smashbox palette I knew I had to have both. The Smashbox one wasn't a hard decision as it was I think $59 when it's worth around $269. Perfect for traveling & in a makeup kit.

 

Single eyeshadows & bases: MAC Swissh, Aquadisiac, Steamy, Parafit Armor, All that Glitters, Nylon, Naked Lunch, Woodwinked, Embark. MUFE #92, Urban Decay Last Call, Revlon Diamond Lust in Plum Galaxy, Stila Smudgepot in Kitten, Maybelline Colour Tattoo's in Inked in Pink, Electric Blush, Barely Branded, Bad to the Bronze.

I didn't plan to buy that many single eyeshadows, but they slowly crept up on me, especially as most times I visited MAC I bought one or two haha. I'm soo glad I bought MUFE #92 which I didn't buy until last minute, and I decided to get more of the colour tattoo's instead of paintpots because they are very comparable.

 Eyeliner & mascara: Jordana Best lash extreme, Maybelline big eyes mascara, Maybelline Mega Plush Lash, Benefit They're real, L'oreal voluminous smoldering eyeliner, Forever 21 Love & Beauty Shadow Stick, Tarte Amazonian clay waterproof gel eyeliner & brush, Maybelline Colour Tattoo Pure pigment in Never Fade Jade (forgot to include it with others) Kat Von D Taboo liner set, Sephora Deco daze glitter eyeliner

Lip Products: MAC lip pencil's in Cherry & Lasting Sensation, Top row: MAC Angel, Snob, Impassioned, Ruby Woo, Maybelline Vivids Vivid Rose; Bottom row: Creme d' Nude, Please Me, Candy Yum Yum, Girl About Town, Maybelline Vivid Fuchsia Flash. MAC Snob lipglass, Nyx Butter gloss Peaches & Cream, Rimmel Show Off Lip Laquer in Apocalyptic, Nyx Glam Gloss Aqua Luxe in The Last Party, Buxom Full on lip polish in Katie, YSL Glossy lip stain #19, EOS Lip balms, Sugarfresh lipbalms. Also forgot to include the Too Faced la creme in Juicy Melons

Brushes: Sonia Kashuk brow brush, Real Techniques Stippling & Expert face brush, Lash & Brow comb, Eye Shader brush. MAC 168, 239, 217, 268, Eco Tools Bronzing brush

 Blush: Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 hr wear in Frisky, MAC Melba, MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Dainty, Stila Convertible colour in Petunia, Illamasqua Hussy, Benefit tints in Cha Cha, Sunbeam & Posie, NARS Torrid & Sex Appeal

Bronzer & Highlighters: Sonia Kashuk Undetectable in Rich Bronze, Benefit Hoola, Stila ALl over shimmer duo Kitten, The Balm Mary Lou-manizer, NARS The Multiple in Cocobana

 Foundations, concealer & powders: MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in light, Revlon Colorstay Whipped, L'oreal True Match, MAC Face & Body, YSl Touche Eclat, NARS Sheer Glow, L'oreal True Match powder, Benefit Erase Paste, Revlon Colorstay concealer, Benefit Fake Up, MAC Pro-longwear concealer, Clinique Airbursh concealer.
I think it's safe to say I wont be needing any more foundations or concealers in a long time! I thought I may as well stock up since a) most are not readily available & b) they are double the price.

 Setting Spray & Powder: MAC Fix +, Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray, MAC Prep & Prime, Benefit Porefessional + mini & That gal, Smashbox Photo Finish Lid Primer

 Nail Polishes: Julie Nail Colour Cabana Boy, Wet n Wild Fergie Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night, Sally Hansen Instadry, Essie Pop Art Pink, Tart Deco, Bikini So Teeny, O.P.I Koala Beary. So I didn't go too crazy with nail polishes, as it was quite hard for me to decide on colours so it was a bit overwhelming. I do wish I bought a bit more O.P.I, I got this one as a backup because it's one of my faves!

 

 Perfume: Ni Amore XOXO, Brittney Spears Believe, Vera Wang Princess, Chloe.
I will be doing a more detailed post on my perfume collection which is now never going to run out haha as well as separate reviews on these ones.

Brush Cleaner- So I wish I had a look at the one from MAC but by the time I remembered I was after a brush cleaner it was a bit late but I found the Sephora brand brush cleaner & bought a few because they were quite small & cheap haha.

 So from the first time we visited Sephora I signed up for their club card... which was such a good idea because over 5 weeks I ended up earning over 600 points lol. I was also able to get a 'birthday gift' which was the Sugar fresh lip balms up with the other lip products, and at the end I used up most of the rest of my points with the MUFE sample pack. One happy customer =)

So umm I said there would be a lot & I think I delivered on that statement- and in case you're wondering I packed light but had to buy a smaller bag anyway, & kept all the powders in my carry on so I knew I would be handling them safe- especially as a (cheap & old thank god) blush broke in my beauty bag!!

Oh and to let you know, I think I stuck to my wishlist pretty well- considering that I didn't list everything I wanted, but I think I bought 7/10 items as I found some to be overwhelming or found other things instead. I also wish I went to Inglot!! But, no regrets! (I've also ordered a couple of limited edition palettes but that will be it!!

Finally- pat yourself on the back even if you scanned through everything I had written, & please let me know what you're most interested in hearing about first, but I will eventually get around to reviewing everything!

Take care loves
xx

Stila Counltess Colour Pigment & Turquoise Smudge Stick | Review & FOTD

The last couple of items I got in my Stila Festival of Colour haul are these two, the Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric & Smudge Stick in Turquoise. They are both limited edition along with the After Glow Lip Colours, and I couldn't resist any of them. Whether you're into understated colours, used as a pop along the lash line or go all out wearing anything you desire all over your eyelids, these two products would be suitable for everyone.

 Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric

This is a bright, summer loving colour pigment where you can either select the shades & apply them separately, mix two different colours for a custom colour, swirl a brush around the pan to create one shade or sweep the brush across the product for a multi-coloured blend.
I choose this one simply because I don't have too many other similar colours and to get me prepared for summer.

Pros
Can create different colour combos
Bright, shimmery colours
Also use as a blush

Cons (but easily fixable)
Sheer, wear off easily with no primer
Need shimmery base for best effect, a bit chalky with a matte white base.
Not recommended to apply wet to get more pigmentation (wouldn't want to risk it!)

Smudge Stick in Turquoise

Stila has also released a pretty turquoise shade into their existing smudge stick or liquid eyeliner lines. I went for the smudge stick so I could use it in my waterline too.

Pros
Very pigmented
Long wearing (not as much in waterline, but lasts a good couple of hours)
Glides on Smoothly
Creamy

Cons
Non retractable! I learned the hard way. (didn't waste too much product, though)
Hard to wind up, but that allows you to use only what you need.

 Swatches

 

 No base, hard to see in natural lighting but as I was writing this they wore off my arm so definitely use a primer!

FOTD

 Face | Rimmel Wake Me Up + Stay Matte
MAC CCB in Pearl + Lightscapade
Bourjois Delice de Soleil, Nude by nature eye definer
Stila Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric as a blush
Eyes | MAC Painterly Paintpot, Nyx E/S base in White
Urban Decay Naked [crease]
Inglot 393 Pearl [Highlight]
Stila CCP shades used separately, from orange to hot pink [Lid]
Stila Smudge stick in Turquoise [Lower Lash/ Waterline]
Maybelline Master Precise (ignore how horrible my eyeliner is here!)
Maybelline The Falsies
Lips | MAC Myth, Max Factor Smart Lip gloss

With the Countless Colour Pigments there is a range of colour choices for everyone, whether you prefer earthy tones or neutrals to different arrays of purples or blues & greens,
On Beauty Bay you can choose from 5 different colours but I think there may be a few other ones elsewhere,& are $22.
There are the usual smudge sticks for $20.40 but don't forget that Turquoise is limited edition if you'd like to get your hands on it!

Thanks for looking! What do you think of these products? How would you wear the Countless colour pigment?
xx

All products paid for by myself, N/A with any brands mentioned

Stila Festival Of Colour | Haul

So I stated in my July wishlist that I had cut down on my spending, and I think I've been pretty good with it! It feels like forever since I've bought any new products, but when I heard about the Stila Festival Of Colour collection, I knew I had to get in fast.

The main reason I wanted to buy from this collection were the Stila After Glow Lip Colours. I was going to wait until my holiday until I found out that they were limited edition. It was something I didn't want to miss out on, even if they were still available I mightn't be able to get the colours I wanted, so of course when Beauty Bay had them in stock I placed an order. Unfortunately a few other LE items caught my eye too!

Countless Colour Pigments in Lyric, Smudgestick in Turquoise, After Glow Lip Colours in Electric Pink & Festive Fuchsia

 So the main reason why I wanted the After Glow Lip colours so badly are because they glow in UV light which I can picture would be a shock to see someone with glowing lips in a nightclub (I've had that happen with my neon nail polishes before haha.) They also make great day colours so they look great on their so if clubbing is not your scene you may still be interesting in these. Keep an eye out for a review!
I was also preparing myself for summer by getting the smudge stick in Turquoise which is a LE colour
& a Countless Colour Pigment in Lyric which Dawn pointed it out as a blush which I didn't think about, but it makes for a lovely eyeshadow that you can use the colours separately or mix together.

A few quick swatches, sorry about the different lighting but I will have separate posts with proper swatches.

 Shipping with Beauty Bay is free, but if you spend an extra $2.20 you get a sample & your package is meant to leave the warehouse faster. It still took 3 weeks to arrive, but I got some pretty decent samples!

 

I've never tried the Urban Decay Primer Potion, only Too Faced Shadow Insurance, so I was thrilled to have a sample size! I also got a Sebastian Colour Ignite shampoo sample which is perfect because I've been using one of their conditioners & colour protection shampoos are the type that I use, so it ended up being perfect for me.

What products from Stila do you like? Do you think you will pick up any of these products?

Check out these products & more from Beauty Bay

xx

Everything paid with my own money, this is not a sponsored post & no affiliation to any brands mentioned

Nyx Sale Haul & Swatches

When CherryCulture had the 40% Nyx sale last month I wasn't actually going to buy anything from it, but I was watching a haul video from Shaaanxo on YouTube late at night and then I had to go have a look at the sale, the timing was too good. I bought some things I have been wanting to try for ages and also a couple of things that stood out to me so I was excited to finally get my parcel! I knew it wouldn't be long when Laurenbeautyy posted about hers :P

   Caviar & Bubbles palette- I have only tried a couple of single eyeshadows from Nyx before so this was my first palette, it has gorgeous wearable neutral colours and reminds me of the Naked 2 palette without the glitter, which makes me sort of regret getting this palette.
   Blush in Angel- I have a couple of blushes & love them & I have wanted Angel for ages, it is a light peachy pink colour perfect for adding an extra glow to the skin so it is shimmery without being glittery.

  Wonder Pencil in Light- This is meant to be a multi-purpose product as an eye brightener for the waterline or underneath the eyebrow, as a lip liner or even as a concealer. I've been wanting a nude eyeliner anyway & wanted to see how it would go for everything else.
  As If concealer stick in Lilac- I've ran out of my one from my concealer palette and I wanted one for travel so I thought I've give this one a go and so far I like it.

  Matte Lipstick in Angel- I didn't even think about this in the same name as the blush haha but I haven't tried any of the matte lipsticks but so far I haven't found it drying but it doesn't seem to last too long and the bullet is quite loose in the tube so it feels like it's falling down as I'm applying it. It is a pinky-red colour that can come of as a coral.
  Lipgloss in Beige- This is a colour I've been interested for ages especially after hearing about it more & more in the YouTube world and it is a gorgeous light pink colour that goes with basically anything. I think I will be taking this with me!
  Xtreme Lip Cream in Pinky Nude- Firstly I wouldn't call it a nude as it is quite a dark pink and I've only tried this out once but the formula feels good for my first Xtreme Lip Cream but I wish I chose a different colour because it is similar to Angel (on the lips anyway).
  Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel- I had put this elsewhere to my other products when I was taking these pics and then remembered it after so I had to add it in separately and it is obviously not to scale haha.. I haven't tried this properly yet but it is a gorgeous light peachy colour with a sheer-medium coverage and is non-sticky.

L-R: Angel, Beige, Pinky Nude, Apple Strudel

FOTD wearing Caviar & Bubbles palette on eyes, Angel blush, Angel lipstick & Beige lipgloss.

 So that's all I bought from the sale, I thought it was a good amount and I was glad I didn't go too overboard, I think it ended up being around $40 with shipping so I felt it was good for 8 items.

Let me know Did you order from the Nyx sale? Have you tried any of these products before?
xx

Oh and I have been pretty good with cutting down my spending, I had only had a couple of other things arrive and that's it until I need to buy the essentials just before I go away!!

Diva Jewellery Haul

 Diva is an Australian Jewellery shop that sells decent items for affordable prices. As I do not have one near me, and it has been forever since I have acquired any new accessories, I thought it was about time I would place an order.
 Although our summer is done & dusted, I was feeling like I needed a few bright statement necklaces & earrings, but just because it is not the season doesn't mean I can't brighten up my look! I bought the necklaces in mind especially to wear out clubbing as I have a lot of black clothes & bright accessories will change the look.

Coral Enamel Necklace

I have been seeing these types of necklaces everywhere so I thought I would jump onto the bandwagon. I love the colour of this. I didn't realize it would have a gold chain (like almost everything else I bought) as I normally only wear silver but I don't mind it like this, and don't care about mixing & matching silver & gold like I thought I would. This was the most expensive item I bought for $15.00 as I chose mainly sale items.

3 Row Orange Rectangle Necklace

On sale for $7 and to make up my order I thought why not and if I didn't like it to give it away.... I love the orange and the 3 tiers and think it would look great against a black outfit.

Gold Simple Plate Necklace

Another style that is in at the moment, this one was $9.95 and I thought it would look good with a strapless dress.

Solid Rose Gold Spiked Bracelet

 I have been wanting a bracelet like this for a while and something in rosegold, this was $9.95 and I think it looks nice with bangles and my chain bracelet which I wear all the time. I can see this not taking too long to tarnish so it hopefully doesn't!

Coral Enamel Spot Stretch Bangle

This was $6 and it looked bigger on the website but still quite pretty.

Pink Enamel Section Earrings

Going on with the pink & gold theme, these decently heavy earrings take a little bit of getting used to, I got these for $9.95.

Pop Pink Stone Cut Earrings

 Yet another pink item were these earrings that I wouldn't have bought if they weren't $3. Especially if I felt them in store as they feel quite cheap. I seriously didn't know that everything I was buying was gold, but I think I can get used to it. I'm still a silver girl, through and through.

Birds of A Feather Drop Earrings

I loved how elegant these looked with the gold against the black, & these were $9.95

Gold Open Triangle Studs

Lastly, almost, were these earrings that were also very cheap at $4 and once again I had pictured the sizing different as I thought they looked smaller on the website. Anyway, they are kind of a simple way to make a statement with my earrings.

Something I forgot to include in the picture was a Silver Ponytail Cuff that was $6.99 but a waste of money as it basically feels like cardboard and that it may break when I try to open it up around my ponytail. So far so good but with a few more uses I don't know how it would go.

So all up my total came to $81.95 and when you spend $80 or more you get free shipping, so when I was up to $61 I thought I may as well get a couple of extra items because the shipping would have probably added up to near that amount anyway, which is where the cheaper items came in handy.

It still took a couple of weeks with shipping but all up I was happy with the service from Diva online so I would recommend buying from them online if you did not have access to their shops. And although some items feel as cheap as they are, for the price they are easy & affordable to replace. Unfortunately I cannot tell you how much shipping is but I'd assume it would be the standard $9.95- $15 depending on how much you buy etc.

Have you bought from Diva online before? Or do you like browsing in store?
xx

Collective Clothing Haul // Cocolatte, Dissh, BlueJuice & More

Firstly I am so happy to announce that I am featured on Ms American Pie's Beauty blog for the month of May, yay! She always has really insightful & well written posts & super creative makeup posts & on top of that she is such a darling. You can check out the post & her blog here.

Back to the post, I want to apologize for the lack of quality in the pictures. I am sort of contemplating buying a better camera but we shall see!
& I know I am not meant to be buying anything, but I have certainly slowed down lately. It is way too hard when I see a good special. And I am still trying to build up my staple wardrobe collection so that is mainly what this haul consists of.

Cocolatte
This is a clothing brand that is featured quite regulary on Ozsale, and they have single clothing items or packs of 2 with different colours, for a very cheap price. I bought these thinking of my summer holiday coming up in the US for very comfortable traveling clothes. There are always new pieces adding in when this sale comes up.

Crochet And Mesh Vest

 Elastic Waist Dress

 These dresses are really comfy with a tank top back & cinched in slightly at the waist. The shrug is really nice & can be tied just above the waist.

 Striped Button Dress

 The same as the dresses above, only with stripes. Nice to wear on a casual day. I think it would be a good traveling outfit with a cardigan & leggings.

Strappy Dress

Cinches in at the waist but the top portion sort of hangs over the waist line. I think it would probably look nicer with a belt.

Sheer Maxi Dress

A strappy slip that goes just above the knees with a sheer overlay that goes all the way to the ground, and side splits on both sides of the legs. I hope I feel comfortable to wear these out, if I ever find a place to go! Not clubbing 'appropriate', maybe out for dinner or on a picnic...?

Long Sleeve Blouse

 

 Very light material, goes a tiny bit lower at the back & very baggy so I'd probably have to wear a belt to avoid a frumpy look, and pair with skinny jeans or leggings.

 Sleeveless Shrug

The material is lightweight but warm, I like the cut & how it sits.

That was all I bought from Cocolatte, not including a bandeau bra, and it ended up being $80 incl. shipping for 14 items and most of the packs were 2 for $10. Yay sales!

Dissh
Dissh Boutique is a website Shaaanxo mentions sometimes. They have free express shipping if you buy one full priced item for $19.95 or more which was easy & have many great brands and styles. Shipping ended up taking 3 days and since express is always free, if I want something in a hurry I will probably buy from here.

 Surely Did Crop Top & Over The Moon Skirt (no longer found on website =/)

Its funny that when I was younger I always wanted to wear crop tops because I thought they were the cool thing teenagers wore, haha. I bought this to wear only with high waisted clothing.... especially as I am practically always bloated (damn those tasty carbs!). I like the look of a tiny bit of stomach showing.

This high waisted skirt has a longer bottom at the back than the front, but not enough of a difference to be called a mullet/ high-low skirt. The print & colours are gorgeous. I would definitely wear this with a more feminine top.

Flight Tank

Belt from Roads, Skirt from Forever New. Not bought in this haul.

This tank top's sleeves are a bit too big for my liking so I am also wearing the bandeau bra from Cocolatte. It is also very baggy so I would have to wear it tucked in. It goes down to just above my hips. I wanted it as a staple anyway but it wasn't how I pictured it online. I could have returned it but I aint got no time so that so I will try to make it work.

Blue Juice
 I had also bought these off of Ozsale, and I have had other items from Blue Juice before so I knew they would be good quality. Check out more of BlueJuice from The Iconic here.

 Between The Lines Dress

This dress has a nude & black striped paneled print with a sheer lace overlay. When I saw this I thought the direction of the lines would be very flattering & it had a vintage feel. It is extremely short so I'd prefer to wear it with a jacket & sheer tights so I'm not showing off too much skin and I really like the sweetheart neckline. I wish I had a nice waist, though!

I didn't record the name of these shorts before I took off the tag, sorry!!

I like how tailored these shorts are so they can be dressed up. They are high waisted & have fake pockets on the sides & back, I wish they had real pockets on the side, though.

I love Billy
These are from an Australian shoe brand that I bought off of Brands Exclusive which is also a flash sale website like Ozsale. They are my first shoes from this brand & love them. Check out more at I Love Billy here (however I apologize that these are not on their website for some reason but they have plenty of other choices.)

Mikala Wedge Booties

They are gorgeous suede tie-up wedge booties, love them! So comfortable to wear & would look good with almost any outfit. I don't really know how to wear the laces without them looking silly, though.

So that is basically my recent clothing haul, I have some more dresses coming in from ozsale & I want a comfy pair of casual ankle boots, but apart from that I am going to try my hardest to stop shopping and stop looking at flash sale websites which is ridiculously hard. I also have an over due Diva haul so stay tuned for that sometime!

xx

I have paid for all of these items with my own money. I am not affiliated with any of the websites mentioned. Nothing in this haul is a sponsored review, however I have an invite link with Ozsale & Brands exclusive & get a voucher if you join through me but I am not forcing it upon you to do so.