Topshop, Typo & Priceline Haul - #Blogmas

I'm not quite sure how but managed to gain more than the smidgen of disposable income I normally get but since I haven't been shopping for myself in god knows how long, today was the day. I had made a little list and I still had to go get some Christmas presents (which I didn't show) for friends, but I may've gotten distracted from my list and just done my own thing. No the less I'm very happy with my purchases.

This is what I got from Topshop (which just opened up in Brisbane) I know you probably don't want to see my underwear but they haven't been worn and how flippin' cute is that design? I'm wearing the ring now and it looks amazing, I've been missing wearing a ring and thought this was gorgeous.

Now onto Priceline, my weakness if I ever had one. I did actually intend to buy all these items and thank the lord I didn't stray from my list or some of my friends might've not gotten their Christmas presents hehe. So I got the John Frieda Full Repair Deep Conditioner, this was a little pricey for only 118ml ($14 - sale price) but I heard some good things about it and I won't mind trying it, then giving my 50 cents on the product. Next is the Garnier BB Cream for Oily Combo skin which I got for $9.50 and I don't have the highest expectations after using Skin79's BB Cream, but I was in need for a BB cream since it's gotten so hot. I was intending on replacing my Dry & Go Drops but they had none and so I thought "ooh, opportunity to try something new!" and I picked up Sally Hansen's Mega Shine Top Coat. ($15) Lastly I need a new concealer desperately and saw this was on sale and just picked it up, I have a massive feeling that even though this was the lightest shade, it's gonna be too dark for me.

Holy mother of cows, was Typo packed today! My sole purpose for entering the mayhem was to pick up a blogging notebook since I don't have one. With every purchase you could get a 2014 calendar for $5 and I saw the Classic Disney one and well as you can see, I just couldn't resist.

What have you bought recently? I'd love to hear your thoughts :)

xoxo - Happy Holidays

This or That Tag

It's been awhile since SBBC and I miss doing regular posting and I thought what better way to help me get back into posting more material then a TAG? I'd seen this one floating around and thought I'd give it a go. It's split into six sections, Makeup, Nails, Body, Fashion, Hair and Random. This might end up being a long post but I feel that I have to reason some of my decisions and I won't hold back.

So let's get into it!

MAKEUP...
blush or bronzer - If you had asked me six months ago it would have been a no-brainer for blush but since learning how to contour, I've been a tad addicted and will opt for a light bronzer over blush.
lip gloss or lipstick - I much prefer pigment over finish.
eye liner or mascara - That's a tricky one but since I was blessed with naturally long lashes I will opt for liner.
foundation or concealer - Concealer is a life saver and that is a matter of fact!
neutral or color eye shadow - As much as I love playing with color, I will always love my neutrals.
pressed or loose eye shadows - Loose eyeshadows get wayy too messy!
brushes or sponges - I love the control and precision I can get with brushes.

NAILS...
OPI or china glaze - I've never actually tried China Glaze but I do love OPI.
Long or short - I can't stand short nails even though I had to cut them to play violin.
Acrylic or natural - I've never tried acrylic but since I do still play a number of instruments I think natural will always be a good option.
Brights or darks - As much as I love my darks in fall and winter, I love the fun and bright colors that come with summer and spring. I'm also a big fan of neutrals.
Flower or no flower - I'm not skilled enough to dabble into nail art, I'm just too afraid of messing it up!

BODY...
perfume or body splash - I have a mini personal obsession with perfumes!
lotion or body butter - I do love the body butters I've tried but none have really wowed me, unfortunately.
body wash or soap - Soap can be really bad for your skin and there are so many more options with body washes.
lush or other bath company - In no way does this mean I don't love lush, cause I do, but I have to go with Soap and Glory, I'm in love with all the products I own buy them.

FASHION...
jeans or sweat pants - Can I just say DUH!
long sleeve of short - It's too hot over in Australia to wear lots of long sleeved clothes.
dresses or skirts - I'm devotedly in love with dresses, I do love my skirts but I will always go for a dress over a skirt.
stripes or plaid - Never been a big fan of plaid and I do own a couple of lovely items in stripes.
flip flops or sandals - We call flip flops 'thongs' over here and although they're deemed a cultural thing, I've never really enjoyed wearing them.
scarves or hats - I'm a big scarf person, even though It rarely gets cold enough to warrant wearing one, I adore styling them.
studs or dangly earrings - I have very sensitive ears and whenever I wear dangly ones they pull way too much and end up hurting :(
necklaces or bracelets - I'm very much into simplicity with my jewellery and I've been wearing the same necklace all year and I love it!
heels or flats - Being 5'11'' heels just seem a little stupid and ridiculous.
jacket or hoodie - I do adore my Yankee's hoodie but I will always opt for a jacket!

HAIR...
curly or straight - I have naturally wavy and frizzy hair so getting it straight is lovely!
bun or ponytail - I've always been a big fan on the ponytail and I do love my quick and messy buns but on the days my hair isn't as messy, ponytail all the way!
bobby pins or butterfly clips -They are just a massive life saver.
hair spray or gel - I really enjoy the natural ones and they just give enough hold that I need for a big night or day.
long or short - I cut my hair short when I was a kid and hated it and deemed never to get it short again!
light or dark - I tried getting it lightened a few years back and it was a disaster and every time I get it darker it's a massive success.
side sweep bangs or full bangs - Never really had bangs but for my facial structure side sweep bangs look better
up or down - I love having my hair down but I do admit I'm a big fan of the half up-half down looks.

RANDOM...
Rain or shine - I love rainy days! But living in Queensland there is a fine line between a lovely rainy day and Oh Shit this storm may kill us! But rain is beautiful
Summer or winter - I love snuggling up in winter but I seriously can't handle the cold at all.
Fall or spring - Spring is by far my favourite season of them all.
Chocolate or vanilla - DUH!

I invite any body who reads this to try it out themselves, I think this is a great way for all of us beauty bloggers to get a sense of what we're all into :)

Can't wait to see yours !

My Beauty History - #SBBC

In the grand scheme of things, there isn't really a history with me and beauty since I'm only 18 years old and I was never allowed to buy my own clothes or wear makeup and I had numerous restrictions on my hair all the way through high school. Therefore, I have little to share other then a handful of experiences.

Hair Experience - Disaster

I'm pretty sure I was 15 and at that point I'd never dyed my hair and was way to scared to do it myself and went out in search of something affordable. I was shopping with my mum when I saw that one of the local hairdressers were having a special on and it was perfect exactly what I wanted. That's what I thought at least. I knew I wanted to go lighter and was hoping they would help turn my dark brunette hair into something a little blonder, I even bought in a picture. Never ever been to a hair dressers before so what was I to expect, I could hardly speak to the lady doing my hair and sat in silence the entire time. In the end it cost more than the advertisement and it looked shit. I had really blonde streaks all through my hair and nothing blended, I was trying to look on the bright side, but looking back, I'm glad I decided to dye it back to a darker brunette color a few months later.

Foundation Matching - Disaster

Nearing my semi formal, I had no makeup (ahhhhh!) and my mum graciously offered to buy me some nice foundation and concealer for the big night. We went into the department store and went over to Estee Lauder's stall and the lady there was very helpful, but unfortunately it wasn't a customer service failure that led to my foundation not matching me, it was indeed the lighting. I was there in the store and all three of us agreed it matched but when I got home it was a noticeably two shades to dark. I lived with it for the semi formal but now I have a gorgeous formulation of foundation that I can't use. I suppose we all learn somehow.

Well this sort of turned into a little bit of a beauty disasters post, but those were two parts of my beauty history that have molded me to make better decisions. When it comes to fashion, I've never had anything bad happen although I do have a little clothing thing that I do that some of my friends find weird. I always wear shorts under my dresses and skirt, they're normally bike pants but I'm so terrified of flashing people that I always wear them.

What have been some of your successes and fails with beauty in the past?

Maintaining Healthy Hair - #SBBC

Everyone's hair is different and therefore everyone's method of maintaining healthy hair is different. I have struggled with my frizzy hair for years and continue to do so, and it got to the point where I thought that my hair wasn't healthy because it was also frizzy and/or wavy. I did learn that I could maintain healthy hair though and that having straight hair isn't what makes it healthy; more of a,"it's whats on the inside that counts" sort of deal. So here are my tips to maintaining healthy locks:

• Wash your hair - Okay this is the most simple thing to put here but I've been surprised how many people I know who only use shampoo and don't see the point of conditioner and people who never frequently wash their. For me over the past year I changed from washing my hair once or twice a week to every other day, and the difference is spectacular, my hair always feels amazing. And when it comes to the importance of conditioner, think of it this way, think of shampoo being some sort of disinfectant that cleans hair and gets rid of all the nastys and conditioner puts all the goodness back in, things that add to shine and softness.


• Protect your hair - If you're like me and addicted to straightening your hair or curling, you need to protect your hair. I'm currently using the Tresemme Heat Tamer Protective Spray and it's brilliant, I mean if you're spending money on shampoo and conditioner and maybe even treatments, you may as well protect your investment.


• Look for Ingredients -  Now we all know that there are some certain ingredients in hair products that are particularly good for your hair and here are a few:

1. Moroccan Oil - This particular oil is amazing as a serum (as pictured above) it moisturizes hair, reduces frizz, increases hair shine and offer UV protection.


2.  Argan oil is able to help hydrate the hair in a natural way. It is able to stop the fly away of hair, the curliness and also the roughness of the hair in a natural and efficient way. It also contains Vitamin E which helps in repairing damaged hair.


3. Keratin - Helps to soften and smooth hair while also repairing damage to the hair.


4. Macadamia Oil - Another wonder oil which is great for eliminating frizz and detangling.

• I personally love Moroccan Argan Oil Formulations and feel that they help quite efficiently with controlling my frizz and creating shine.

What are your hair secrets?

First Impression: Remington Shine Therapy Hair Straightner

I picked up this little turquoise beauty just over a week ago and have used it 3 times, so I reckon a first impression/review was in hand. Firstly, I took advantage of the mid-year sales that were happening and ended up getting it for half price which is a super duper bargain since it's retail price is around $100 AU. For a long time I have been using the same hair straightener and although I liked the fact that I actually owed a contraption that could shine up my frizziness, I was always settling for the results and had a lot of problems with hair getting pulled out and the buttons being in weird places, low and behold I bought a new one. I read a lot of good reviews about the Shine Therapy one and it's features really dragged me it. Some of these features include Moroccan Argon Oil infused plates and a Smart Sensor that detects the amount of moisture in the hair to ensure that there is no burning.

Enough of the technicalities, here's the run down so far. The heat-up time is pretty impressive and although I haven't pushed it up to the highest temperature setting, I doubt that will be necessary. It's sleek design feels comfortable in my hand and I don't feel that I might slip and burn all my fingers. I absolutely love the fact that it has the swivel cord, I can't even begin to tell the amount of times I've had the cord clasped around my arm. Now, for results, which I am in love with. The finish product turns my naturally frizzy and wavy hair into a natural straight look that strays away from the "if my hair could get any straighter I could poke someone's eye out" look.

I can't wait to keep using this product and enjoying the amazing results it gives my hair. Overall I give it a rating of 4/5 :)

Haul Time

So firstly I need to apologize for not keeping up with a routine blogging schedule, it's just that I have created a few tutorials and FOTD's but my currently shitty camera doesn't do the job and every color, even black will turn up orange. Hence I am in the process of saving up to get a very decent indeed camera will i will be able to post better quality pictures to generate a better quality blog. (and hopefully some video tutorials)

Today my sister decided to go shopping and dragged me along, I wasn't going to buy anything but then I got a not-so-pleasant phone call and decided on some retail therapy. Although it's not much.

I'll start with what I got at Priceline (which if you're not from Australia is the 'drugstore' products)

Maybelline Dream Lumitouch Highlighting Concealer -  $17.95AU

So I have been in desperate need for a new concealer since I completely used up my MAC one (and by used up i mean the entire jar was bare, I was still trying to scrap around the edges with my concealer brush) and instead of repurchasing I wanted to try some drugstore concealer, since I haven't done that before. I've heard a lot of good things about this and there is a big comparison between this and the Yves Saint Laurent Touch eclat concealer, which I think is around $60 Australian dollars and for a concealer that's just too pricey. So I'm hoping that the maybelline one will live up to the high comparison.

Revlon Slant Tip Tweezers - $8.00 (sale price) AU

This purchase was mainly because of the 25% off Revlon tools sale on at Priceline and I saw these and since I was on the hunt for a new pair of tweezers I thought these were a good purchase, can't wait to try them out!

TRESemme Heat Tamer Protective Spray - $8.00 (sale price) AU

There is so much hype surrounding this heat protector and I thought I'd put it to the test since i tend to use heated hair tools on the daily.

L'Oreal Elnett Satin (Natural Touch) Hairspray - $5.00 AU


What's to say I needed a new hairspray since I am heading to an 18th this weekend and need to get all dolled up. I've heard a lot about this product and am really hoping it does indeed provide a 'natural touch' and not become crunchy.

Revlon Smokey Eye Brush - $8.00 (sale price) AU


Been on the lookout for a new angled eyeliner brush and took total advantage of the sale with Revlon tools and it was just a bonus that it is double-ended; giving me the option to create the smoked eyeliner effect (which I lurve). It's also VEEERRRYY soft :D

Nivea Fruity Shine Lip Balm in Strawberry  - $3.00 AU

This is a repurchase, I loved it so much before I accidentally dropped it on the ground and well, it got very dirty and completely unhygienic. It took me awhile to repurchase this because I switched over to the Baby Lips lip balms, which are great, I just missed the very subtle red tint it gives my lips, plus it is very moisturizing, looks great and taste pretty cool too.

I then walked past Dusk which is the home to all candles and gorgeous decor here in Australia and since it's still cold and I still lack a heap of lighting in my room I'm always on the lookout for new candles so I picked out one of the 30hr Destination Jar Candles in Bondi for $15.00 AU. Can't wait to light it up tonight.

The last purchase is the vivid copy of this month's Cosmo, I'm not the biggest magazine reader but it's the Beauty Issue and Miranda Kerr is on the front, How could I say no?