Sephora Sydney Haul

Over the weekend I went on a girls trip to Sydney. We went to Bondi and ate the best breakfast I’ve had at Nikos Restaurant & Bar while hipster watching, sipped margaritas between the harbor bridge and opera house at the Opera Kitchen and Bar, saw the amazing Taylor Swift in concert and went on a little detour to Pitt Street Mall. When we weren't doing that you could find us in the rooftop pool swimming around and enjoying the glorious sunshine. I have been scratching for the Sephora in Melbourne to open and was going to be one of those crazy girls that camped out at midnight to be first in the door, but the opening coincided with when I was fluttering around Bondi and I wasn’t in the state. So while in Sydney I made it my mission to hop, skip and jump over to Sephora and pick up my goodies. I set myself a budget of $100 mainly because I only took carry on luggage and was already 1kg over by the time I got to Avalon airport. Luckily when we got to Sephora after lunch on Friday it was perfect timing because they had 20% off EVERYTHING in store; and it was absolute mayhem. But a glamorous, exciting and glossy type mayhem and like the Stella McCartney sale when I had to roll under the doors when it opened and copped a coat hanger to the ribs, it was all worth it in the end because I snapped up exactly what was on my wish list. 

Sephora Lingzhi Eye Mask

This wasn’t on my wish list but caught my eye when I was trying to find a corner to collect my breath and find my friend Nicola who I lost somewhere between the Marc Jacobs and Zoeva stands. They were only $6 a piece and I thought it could be fun to do a mask back at the hotel. The only ones left where the Lingzhi anti-aging and smoothing masks because the rack had been raided so I decided to give it a whirl. I am so glad I did because while these where a bit fiddly to remove from the packet, peel and apply properly, after just 15 minutes my under eye area looked like I had napped for 3 days and just returned home from a luxurious day spa. My two little fine lines smoothed out, everything looked plumped, hydrated and incredibly bright. It was like my under eye area was photoshopped. Which was a big accomplishment considering I only had four hours sleep before getting on my flight that morning. The results from this little $6 eye masks rivaled something I would expect from a product upwards of $200. I was completely blown away. Unfortunately when I returned to the hotel to Google the Sephora in house brand I discovered that they do test on animals which is completely disappointing. While these were amazing eye masks I will not be repurchasing until Sephora changes their animal testing policies. TESTS ON ANIMALS.

it Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Cream in Fair

I’m continually Googling the best foundations and concealers for incredibly fair skin. So while in Sephora, despite the madness, I made it my goal to go around to every single darn cosmetics stand and swatch the lightest shade of foundation that each brand had to offer. The worst? Surprisingly it was Kat Von D whose lightest shade of her Lock It Tattoo foundation was so incredibly dark. The Winner? The Marc Jacobs Beauty foundation that was a true porcelain shade and was possibly one of the lightest shades of foundation I’ve ever seen. But because I had myself on a budget I couldn’t really spend $70 on one foundation, so I decided to keep it to my wish list. Whenever I Google base products for very fair skin a lot of the blogs and websites always mention the it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair. So when I got to their stand and swatched it on the back of my hand you could have pushed me over with a feather. The Coverage! The SPF! The Application! The Colour! Everything was a 10/10! This product is going to be my staple through the summer. It has such a high SPF protection, it feels so incredibly lightweight like a serum but has the coverage of a heavy foundation and the shade Fair keeps true to its named and basically disappeared when swatched onto my ghostly white arms. The next day I wore this without primer all over my face to go to Bondi Beach and it was an absolute trooper. It stayed all day without budging and looked like my skin! Everyone and their mother need to go out a pick up a tube of this for the summer because it is an absolute gem of a product! Cruelty Free.

Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes 4-in-1 Mascara

Back when I first started watching YouTube my absolute favourite Vlogger was Essie Button. We had similar skin tones and colouring so everything she put on her face I knew would suit me to a T! I loved her goofy girl next-door personality and I found her to be so original and humble. Her hair, makeup and outfit were always on point and I always trusted her opinion. Then she completely flipped. She went from being adorable and girl next door to a dreary scandi influenced vlogger and all her makeup and clothing went from bright and fun to a dark stormy cloud. So I unsubscribed and continued on the search for a new beauty muse! But back in the Essie glory days this was her go to mascara that I could never get my mitts on because I live on the isolated island that is Australia. So when I spotted it on my Sephora journey I picked it up and immediately chucked it in my basket without question. The next day when I applied it, it took me back to why I loved the original Estee so much because her recommendations were just so amazing. This mascara is BEYOND. It lifts. It separates. It makes your lashes glossy black. I applied layer after layer after layer and it didn’t clump once. It lives up to its 4-in-1 name because it truly does lengthen, curl, volumize and conditions your lashes to be the best they can be! Cruelty Free.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper

As I’ve mentioned many times before, I am a winged liner fiend who is after a Holy Grail liner pen. I always find an amazing one but after mere weeks the felt tip has gone all soft and I can’t get that nice sharp line. Like most questions I’ve had I always turn to Google and as always Google delivers. A lot of other people had the same problem and found that the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner was the answer! Unlike most liquid liner pens that use a felt tip, the Tattoo Liner doesn’t use felt but it’s more of a hybrid between a paint brush and silicone tip which means it won’t ever lose its shape. I got such precise lines with this and could achieve the wing of my dreams. It is so easy to use and not only is it cruelty free but it is also vegan! The ONLY issue I had with it was that it wasn’t really a true deep dark black. I wish the colour was a bit more intense but other than that it was still amazing and I think I might have found my Holy Grail liner pen! Cruelty Free. Vegan.