Priceline 40% off haul

Last week, I woke up 30 minutes earlier than normal and headed to work so that I could get my ass to the Priceline sale. They had another one of their 40% off all cosmetics sale. Who knew that Priceline would be super packed at 8am in the morning? Females frantically grabbing cosmetics, swatching their arms and getting frustrated in the long line to pay because they were going to be late to work. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought of going before work to grab all the goodies. Luckily for me, I grabbed everything I wanted, got served by a lovely lady and left Priceline within 10 minutes.

I had a small list in my mind and told myself not to browse the shelfs because I know myself. I know I would just cave and grab everything new and double up on all my favourites. My original list consisted of the Australis Velourlips and the Stay Put Foundation.

My pink shopping basket consisted of:

- The newest colours in the Australis Velourlips range (Doo-Bai, Shang-Hai, Buda-Pash, Bar-Tha-Lona, Ro-Ma). I have all the other colours so it is necessary to complete the collection. Besides, Bar-Tha-Lona is absolutely spectacular. A full post will be coming up soon.

- Face of Australia Face Base Primer. My HG primer. I thought I might as well grab a backup since I know I will be using and finishing it.

- Australis Stay Put Foundation in Natural Tan and Golden Tan. I'm currently using Golden Tan and I cannot compliment this foundation enough. The formula works very well with my skin but now that winter is approaching and my tan is fading, I needed a lighter shade and that's why I grabbed Natural Tan as well.

- Essence Lipliner (Satin Mauve, Wish Me a Rose, In The Nude). So cheap! They came down to $1.20 each. I mean, the RRP of $2 is already cheap but when it's $1.20, I had to grab all that was left. I'm greedy like that.

- Essence Ultra Strong Nail Hardener because I'm out of base coats and my nails have been very brittle since I've been back in Aus.

- Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Top Coat had me at sans light. I've never had gel nails before (or acrylics, shellac or a manicure at a store for a matter of fact) but I've always admired my friends and co-workers with chip-free nails. My nail polish always chips within 1-2 days even with a top coat. I've tried everything from OPI to Seche Vite, Essie, Sally Hansen to China Glaze and nothing seems to ever work for me. I'm really hoping this Gel Top Coat will work for me. It's meant to be paired with the Sally Hansen Miracle Gel Colour but I couldn't justify buying that when I've got hundreds of polishes at home so I will be using it without it's coloured partner. Fingers crossed.

In total, I spent

Beauties, did you go to the Priceline sale? What did you grab?

Addicted to Blush Tag

I was tagged by one of my favourite bloggers to do this Addicted to Blush Tag. Thank you Lena! Some questions were difficult to answer because so many of my favourite blushes were fitting for the question but I didn't want to sound repetitive. I do have a handful of beautiful blushes but I always reach for the same ones out of habit. I also tend to just stick to the same brands and this post definitely reflects that.

1. What colour blush suits you the most?
I believe that my asian skin tone suits coral pinks and nude pinks the most. I like to think that my skin tone is very universal and suits every colour but I would never dare to wear red tones or berry blushes.

2. Pressed/cream/loose blush?
Oh. I didn't even know that loose blush existed. Pressed powder is definitely my favourite. Despite being a lot more fragile compared to cream blushes, they are super easy to use and serve their purpose well. Cream blushes are awesome in that they don't break when you drop it but the whole blending part makes me nervous. Pressed powder blushes can easily be swept across the cheeks and colour intensity can be built.

3. Favourite shimmery blush?
Shimmery, glittery or both? I don't own many glittery blushes because I don't like looking like a disco ball, especially because my skin is oily but my favourite glitter blush would be Nars Super Orgasm. Shimmery blushes are my favourite though because they just add that extra sheen which makes the skin glow and add dimension to the face. I could not narrow it down to just one but my favourites are Nars Orgasm, Nars Luster, Nars Deep Throat and Benefit Coralista.

Nars Deep Throat

4. Favourite matte blush?
Hmmmm. I rarely use matte blushes, only matte bronzers. In that rare instance that I reach for a matte blush, it is probably because I'm going through a phase where I want to trial and use all the products I never touch. But if I had to pick one, it would have to be Nars Amour.


5. Favourite cream blush?
Same as above, I don't use cream blushes often. Maybe because it's not as quick and a bit fidgety to use? I do think they are beautiful though. Especially Nars Cactus?

6. Favourite drugstore blush?
I don't own many drugstore blushes. Not because I'm snobby or anything but I don't buy them because I have too many blushes from other brands. I guess Milano would be classified as drugstore even though it's not sold in Australia. I assume it would be sold in drugstores in the US. My favourite Milano blushes are from the baked range. I absolutely adore Luminoso and Corallina. Milano Baked Blushes are affordable, pigmented, are of high quality and come in a range of colours and tones.

Milano Luminoso

7. Favourite high end blush?
I don't own any really high end like Chanel or Dior. I guess the highest end ones I own are Nars and Mac and my favourite are Nars Luster, Mac Stunner and Mac Springsheen. All very soft and give my cheeks a glowing glimmer.

8. Favourite bright blush?
I couldn't think of any at the top of my head because I don't own many at all. Bright blushes are so hard for me to wear, or for anyone to wear for a matter of fact. If I had really pale skin, blonde hair and looked like Snow White, I would be rocking the bright blushes. I had to dig through my stash to find and compare all my bright blushes but the top contender would be the Blush By 3 palette in Lace by Sleek Make Up. Two mattes and one shimmer. The middle shimmery shade looks awfully similar to to Nars Orgasm. I call dupe! Lookout for a comparison post somewhere in the future.

Sleek Blush By 3 in Lace

9. Biggest blush disappointment/regret?
I impulse buy so much. Because it's limited edition, because it's pretty (at the time), because it adds to my collection or just because! It is such a bad habit and because of that, I have so many that I never touch. Examples are Nars Taj Mahal and Mac Sakura. Waaaaaay too orange and way too purple making it so hard to wear. I'm not entirely sure how I justified these purchases at the time.

Nars Taj Mahal & Mac Sakura

10. Best blush packaging?
Hourglass. I don't even have to say more. The packaging is just plain beautiful and when you open it, the swirls just take your breath away even more. I also think that Charlotte Tilbury packaging is stunning too but I don't own anything from that brand. Their stand in Selfridges was my favourite one to browse though. So so pretty! It looks like I'm drawn to Hourglass and Charlotte Tilbury because of their shiny, golden compacts.

11. What's on your blush wish list?
Now that I've mentioned Charlotte Tilbury, they are definitely on my wish list now. My wish list is quite non existent now because I'm so poor after my trip and I've learnt to use the make up that I already have rather than purchasing more. Yup. It took me around 5 years to realise that I have a blush addiction should be using what I already had rather than purchasing more.
Oh actually, one palette that I wanted so badly but couldn't get my hands one is the Nars Joie de Vivre palette. Any palette that Nars and Benefit releases would go onto my wish list purely because they are so beautiful, limited edition and great value for money.

12. What is your  #1 holy grail blush? 
Hands down, Nars Luster, which is also Lena's holy grail blush. It is the only blush that I've hit pan. It applies so beautifully, complementing my skin tone, leaving a soft glow on my cheeks with a hint of colour. This was the only blush I took with me on my 6 month trip. So yes, I love it so much that I used it everyday for 180 days straight.

I really enjoyed doing this tag. I hope that any blogger who reads this also does the tag and let us fuel our crazy blush addictions together! 

Lush launches new Solid Shampoo Bars

Lush has just launched 5 new Shampoo Bars to their existing collection. So what is a Shampoo Bar I hear you ask and why do I advocate for them so much? They are literally what the name says - Shampoo in a bar form. They are compact, light, concentrated, economical and naked.
Naked? Meaning there is no plastic packaging to reduce landfill. One bar lasts around 80-90 washes which is around three 200mL shampoo bottles. If every one switched over to shampoo bars, how much of a difference would that make to the environment?

I've been using Lush's Soak and Float Solid Shampoo Bar since it first got launched around 5 years ago and it has changed my life. For years, I trialled product after product hoping to help my dandruff problem but nothing seemed to work. Despite the weird bushfire smell of Soak and Float, I saw results fairly quickly and I haven't changed shampoos since.

Image from Lush website. 

These are the 5 new bars:

Honey I Washed My Hair
Does this name sound familiar? That's because it has the same scent as their top selling soap 'Honey I Washed The Kids'. It contains fair-trade honey to soften and moisturise the hair without flattening it.

Braziliant
It contains andiroba oil, which is an ingredient from the Brazillian rainforest and entirely new to Lush. Andiroba oil and orange oil will strengthen and condition the hair.

Jason and the Argan Oil 
As suggested in the name, this bar is packed with argan oil for stronger, shinier and softer hair. Suitable for lighter hair tones.

Montalbano 
Okay stop. This bar contains poppy candy. I don't know if this actually does anything for the hair but who cares? POPPING CANDY! It also has sicilian, lemon oil, olives and rosemary to make hair squeaky clean and super shiny.

Copperhead
With coffee and melted henna, which is known for colouring hair, this bar is suitable for those with coloured locks. Although it won't actually colour your hair, it will assist in conditioning and bringing out the tones in treated dark hair.

I have probably gone through 10 bars of Soak and Float. I love taking them travelling because they are small and solid so it can easily go in my carry on bag. My dandruff has been under control for a while now so I thought I should try another bar. I picked Jason and the Argan Oil because I personally love argan oil on my hair. My hair is really dry from all the bleach and argan oil makes it so soft and silky so why not use a shampoo with argan oil in it? I also love the smell. Has anyone used the Rose Jam body wash because Jason and the Argan Oil is the same scent. I've yet to use it but I will do a review when I do! 

 Top: Jason and the Argan Oil

Bottom: Soak and Float

There are 13 different shampoo bars, each one targeting a different hair problem from oily hair and roots, dry hair to hormonal hair loss. They are $13.95 each. Lush also has a solid conditioner bar. 

Have you tried any of these Lush Shampoo bars? What do you think?

Disclaimer: All products were purchased at my own expense. I was not paid or sponsored for this post. All opinions are honest, my own and have not been influenced in any way. Unless stated, images are my own or provided by Lush PR. 

the chosen ones.

As some readers from my previous blog may have noticed, I recently went on a pretty long holiday. 6 months to be exact. So what products does a girl who is obsessed with make up bring with on a 6 month backpacking trip?

When I was packing, I had to set myself a 'one of each product' rule. I had a 20kg limit on most of my flights and my rucksack could only carry around 15kg. That meant that I had to justify and be super selective about what I was going to bring with me and so, a majority of my products are holy grails and products I've used for years and am familiar with.

Do you even understand how hard it is to only use these products for 6 months straight?? 

I only brought one bag for make up and one bag for brushes. 

FACE & BASE. 

Garnier Moisture Match for Combination to Oily Skin - I was actually lugging around my Clinique Gel but I left it at my base and bought this because it was small and cheap. I really liked the feeling it left on my skin and worked really well under my make up. It was not as moisturising as I would've liked, especially at a night moisturiser but it kept me shine free for most of the day. I guess you win some and you lose some. 

Lush Tea Tree Water Toner - A long love of mine. I actually had finished a bottle and had to buy one while travelling. I used it to clean any left over make up on my face and to exfoliate and cleanse my skin. On the hotter days, I would spray this on top of my make up to freshen up. 

MUA Matte Perfect Primer - I love this primer. It's a great dupe for Benefit The Porefessional. It fills my pores and leaves my skin matte and smooth and it's only 4 quids ($8aud). Because MUA is a British brand, I stocked up like crazy when I was in London. It's the length of a finger so it's the perfect size for travelling. 

Benefit The Porefessional - I brought this with me because it's a small sample size but I didn't even finish it. I like it for the same reasons as the MUA Matter Perfect Primer but it has a steeper price. 

Face of Australia Face Base Primer - My HG primer that moisturises and provides the perfect base for my oily skin. 

Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Tinted Moisturiser - Lightweight for everyday wear and it contains SPF 15 for those sunny and long European summer days. 

Maxfactor Miracle Touch Liquid Illusion Foundation - One of my all time favourite full coverage foundations. I wore this on nights out and a festivals. It's a tad too thick for everyday wear though. I originally only had one with me (#75) but I got so tanned that I had to purchase the darkest colour (Caramel #85).

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - I purchased this a few weeks in because I wanted something lighter than the Maxfactor foundation for everyday wear and I also needed another darker foundation because I was so tanned. And yes, I had to buy the darkest colour they offered. I love that it leaves me looking glowing and radiant. It smells amazing too! 

Maybelline FIT Me Stick Foundation - I use the darkest colour in the range as a contour stick.

The Balm Sexy Mama Antishine Translucent Powder - My everyday setting powder that leaves me shine free for a solid 4-5 hours. 

The Balm Bahama Mama Bronzer - A matte bronzer that I use for contouring. I touched pan during my trip! 

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette - I purchased this in London because I've been after a contouring palette for a while and can't get my hands on the ABH one. The contour colour was too orange for my skin tone so I barely touched this palette. I wish I had grabbed more of their blush palettes which are really pigmented and have colours similar to the Nars range. 

EYES & MISC. 

MUA Undressed Palette - A dupe and in my opinion, a better version of the Urban Decay Naked palette. The packaging of my Naked palette has been completely destroyed because I've taken it travelling so many times. This palette is a lot smaller in size and the small price tag means that I won't be upset if it smashes in my bag.

Anatasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade - My HG brow product thats waterproof, sweatproof and doubles up as an eyeliner. Absolute love. 

Anatasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz - I somehow took two of these with me and ended up losing one. I thought this was my HG until I discovered the Pomade. I love Brow Wiz but I cannot for the life of me, make the start of my brows even with such a thin tip. I now use this to fill in after lining with Pomade.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - I cannot apply eyeshadow without this. Enough said. 

MAC Eyelash Curler - I've had this for years and MAC does not sell replacement pads. It still curls pretty well though. 

Sephora Make Up Brush Cleaner - I purchased this half way into my trip to spot clean because I was too lazy to deep clean with the baby shampoo I had brought with me. Not only that, it was not easy to deep clean when the bathrooms and sinks in hostels were communal. 

Australis Multi Mega Lash Mascara - Is it weird to say that I'm falling out of love with this mascara? It feels like it doesn't lengthen or volumise my lashes as well as it used too. I think it's because I've been discovering other better mascaras. Don't worry Australis, you are still my favourite Australian brand. 

Savvy by DB Soft Glide Eyeliner - A cheap eyeliner that I quickly grabbed when packing. I use this on my upper lash line. I try not to line my lower water and lash line now because I feel that it makes me look a lot older. 

Korres Lip Butter Stick - I didn't know that Korres was a Greek brand until I purchased this in Athens after a week in the Greek Islands. My lips and the area around it was dry, peeling and stinging. I was freaking out because I thought I caught herpes or something (LOL) but a bunch of girls reassured me that it was just sunburn because I had not applied any SPF on my mouth area. This lip balm has a slight tint and contains SPF 15. I had learnt my lesson! 

Maybelline The Magnum Volume Express Mascara - I had to bring one waterproof mascara with me for those days at the beach or pool. This is the only waterproof one I own. I really dislike waterproof mascara because it's a pain in the bum to remove! I love this mascara though and wished that they stocked it here in Australia. I purchased this in a department store in Bali a while ago and from what I remember, it was only sold in the waterproof version. The brush is curved so it helps with holding my curl and adding volume, making my eyes look bigger. 

I was so overwhelmed when I came home to a zillion blush, lipstick and eyeshadow choices. It's been three months since I've been back and I still reach for these products because I was so used to using them everyday. If anyone wants a more in depth review of any of these products, please leave a comment below!

What are the products that you bring with you on your travelling adventures? Are you a bare minimum packer or is your make up to baggage room 10:1?

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