My Little Holiday

Hey guys, as I mentioned in my last post, I went away for a few days last week. Matt and I drove down the South Coast (well, he drove, I passengered) and stayed at my family's holiday house. It's a little fishing town, really small and our house is right on the water which is really lovely. We were only down there for 2 nights but we had a great time and I haven't got any beauty or fashion posts lined up at the moment so I thought I'd just share some happy snaps.

Literally woke bolt upright randomly one morning then ran outside to take this picture.

The park had one of those cool spider web pyramid things, so we climbed, obvs.

There is the best chicken diner that does amazing chips. Checking my insty (trust) while we wait

This is what's outside our house. So blessed.

There's kangaroos. It's kinda the best.

I wanna bring some more exciting and original stuff to the blog so I'll work hard on planning cool stuff to show you guys. Uni is going to be pretty hectic for the next month (Hello 3000 word essay due next week that I haven't started) but after that it's a two month break with all the time in the world to do blog stuff! Also will have an op-shop haul/photo shoot up soon once I get the chance to shoot some photos with my friend Liv.

catch ya
xx

What's in my Travel Makeup Bag?

As you read this I am down the South Coast enjoying a few days away with my family and Matt, taking a break from work. I thought it would only be right to show you guys the things I've taken away with me, sticking to just the essentials. My makeup bag is a decent size without being too huge, basically the perfect size for a few days.

First Aid Beauty Face Cleanser You guys know I love this and its miniature size makes it perfect for saving space in loaded bags. In combination with my next product it works a treat.

The Body Shop Muslin Cloth I just bought this yesterday and I already really like it. I'm the kind of person that spills water everywhere when I was my face, but this stops me from flooding the bathroom because I can just wipe my cleanser away!

Garnier Skin Naturals Moisture Match Illuminating Light Lotion for Normal Skin I haven't tried this yet because I only got it today but I've been on the hunt for a new daily moisturiser for ages and this one seemed to tick all the boxes. Light? Check. Non-greasy? Check. SPF? Check. Plus it smells yummy and I've been having good luck with Garnier lately so I thought it was worth a shot.

Nivea Stress Protect Deodorant Is it just me that finds these tiny cans cute? I got this one as a sample and figured that a few days away was a good time to use it, rather than having a full-size can unnecessarily take up space in my bag. Did I mention I'm a chronic over-packer?

Bioderma Créaline H2O Micellar Water Again with the mini stuff, I just think this is so cute, and it works really well. I was going to take makeup wipes to save space, but considering I'll probably only be wearing mascara most days, I figured it make more sense to bring this, plus some cotton rounds and q-tips.

Revlon Colourburst Lacquer Balm in Demure My lovely mother bought me this for Easter and it's the perfect natural colour for everyday.

Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm in Audacious Just in case I need a bright lip one day, this is a pretty coral colour light enough for day time but bold enough for night.

Covergirl Smoochies Lip Balm in #sweet tweet This smells delicious and is another good everyday natural plus it's moisturising. Bonus!

Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm This is my holy grail lip balm, it's super light but massively hydrating. I love it.

Real Techniques Deluxe Crease Brush This one is brilliant for blending in concealer. I swear I never use the RT brushes for their specified use.

Nude By Nature Large Shader Brush This is my new favourite for applying base eyeshadows, perfect for a simple eye look.

Real Techniques Base Shadow Brush Perfect for blending colour into the crease.

Kmart Eyeshadow Palette This is part of Kmart's in-house makeup brand that I'm keen to try, it seems as though it might be decent and it's a nice colour combination. Good for a simple eye-look just incase we decide to go out one night.

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair This is a good concealer that covers well and is probably the best dupe for the Collection Concealer that I've found. Concealer is one of my essentials wherever I go because I typically don't need foundation, but if I get a pimple, I like to be able to cover it.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion Jazzes up a plain eye look quite well, plus it's a hark back to when I first started wearing makeup and rocked a heavy waterline.

Maybelline New York Master Precise Liquid Liner Again, just incase I feel like rocking a wing for a slightly more fancy look.

Revlon Lash Potion by Grow Luscious I'm trialling this one and it creates a pretty natural lash look so it's just right for a family holiday where minimal makeup is required.

The Body Shop White Musk Libertine Fragrance Mist This scent was the first one my boyfriend bought me so I love this. I opted to take this away because it's pretty compact and because it's a fragrance mist it'll be nice and light.


That's about it! I've been taking some photos while I'm away so look forward to a change in scenery for the next few posts!


xx
talk soon

Palette Profile: Stila Portrait of a Perfect Eye Palette

Hello Lovelies,

For the 2013 Holiday Season, Stila have released their Artistry Collection, which includes a heap of different eye, cheek and lip palettes, or, for those more inclined to spend big bucks, an entire make up kit entitled the Artist's Signature Set which has a variety of products and brushes and costs $235 at Mecca Maxima here in Australia, but is valued at almost one thousand dollars.

For me, a student with limited disposable income, I opted for something a little exxy and purchased the Portrait of a Perfect eye palette, a slim compact palette which includes six fairly neutral shades, 2 matte and four shimmery shades. At $24  I consider it to be a pretty good deal, with each shade coming out at four dollars if you divide the palette up. 

The packaging is slim and compact, covered in the vintage Stila girl design, which I consider to be perhaps not the most classy or sleek design in the world, however it is passable. The case doesn't snap shut, but is rather a magnetic seal which makes me doubt how secure the palette would be in a purse or makeup bag when traveling, I think if I decide to take it anywhere I'll wrap a hair-tie around it for securities sake.

While I mightn't be the biggest fan of the packaging on the outside, I love the way the inside of this palette looks. The wood-look background with the quote on top is really sweet and I love the design of the paint brush next to the colours, it really compliments the idea of the "artistry" collection.

Direct Sunlight

The colours are: Parchment, Organza, Vintage, Linen, Antique and Rosewood. However, despite trawling various beauty blogs, I can't figure out whether those colours should read left to right or right to left, as the palette leaves it sort of ambiguous.

As for the formula of these shadows, I have to say, it's not my favourite. Don't get me wrong, the colours are beautiful, some of the prettiest I've seen, however the consistency is a little chalky and colour payoff on the lid isn't amazing. Despite this, I still love this palette, I'm being critical in analysis because I expect big things from brands that cost a little more than the drugstore, however in saying that, this palette was a bargain. 

Inside

What do you guys think of this palette, have you tried it? If not, I'd definitely go check it out and see what you think, the colours are gorgeous. I'm heading to the mall today, so I'm thinking I might pick up the blush palette from this collection! Let me know if you'd like to see a post on that. Sorry for my absence, I'm a Christmas Casual working at the mall, so life has gotten very hectic!

Talk soon

xx