Bellabox January 2015

Bellabox Makeup Pouch

When I first saw this pouch my first thought was “What on earth am I supposed to store in this? It’s tiny! Bobby pins? Tic Tacs?” I thought this was just filler that Bellabox threw in to fill up the box. But then I thought of the perfect use for this little beaut, and that is keeping all my liners of the eye and lip variety in one place. It is the PERFECT size for liners and makes it easier to grab the pouch out of your bathroom cupboard without trying to swim through lots of other products to find the little guys.

Laqa & Co Lip Lube in Bees Knees

I already owned this exact lip lube in the exact same shade, but I was so chuffed to find it in my Bellabox. This is one of my favourite lip shades of all time because it is just so flattering on fair skinned girls. It also has a minty fresh scent and it also stays on for a long time so there is no need to constantly reapply when you’re out. I’ve also nearly used up all of my first tube, so getting one for free in this months Bellabox keeps a cool $25 in my wallet.

SkinnyMint 6-Day Teatox

When I saw this in the box I let out a disappointed sigh. During my university studies I spent my time working in the teashop T2. At least 4 times a week I would have women come in and ask me for weight loss teas, and the girls I worked with would always have this problem as well. Weight loss teas are not healthy for you. They damage your body and can give you a nice little trip to the hospital because they contain ingredients which act as a diarrhetic and the sudden weight loss you see is from the loss of hydration in your body from constantly going to the toilet. Weight loss teas like SkinnyMe Tea and all the other Instagram famous diet teas are so extremely dangerous and promote negative ways to lose weight. The only way to lose weight is through healthy eating and exercise, not from buying teas off Instagram. SkinnyMint tea claims to be an all-natural alternative to boost the metabolism and lose weight, and while the ingredients seem to be all natural, I just can’t give this one a go. I’ll stick with my treadmill and fruit salad. The only thing that can get rid of toxins from your body are organs like your liver. So take good care of it with a great diet and stay away from gimmicks. There are teas that can help with bloating and uncomfortable tummy situations, but try to stay away from any tea that promotes weight loss.

Wen by Chaz Dean Sweet Almond Mint Cleansing Conditioner

I’ve received a sample of this in a different beauty box last year and absolutely loved it. The cleansing conditioner aims to replace your shampoo, conditioner, deep treatments and detangling sprays by creating a product that does it all. You just wash your hair once all over with the product and rinse it out. Then apply it the second time, only concentrating on the ends and leave it in for the rest of the shower. Then just rinse it out before you hop out with cool water and it leaves your hair feeling soft and smelling amazing. I also get a really annoying patch of dermatitis behind my left ear, and when I use this it doesn’t flare it up at all. Such a great little product that works to hydrate the hair working with the natural oils of your lovely locks.

WOTNOT Facial Wipes for Oily/Sensitive Skin

These facial wipes are 100% natural and are great at removing makeup for people with sensitive skin. They are great wipes to keep in your bedside table for crazy late nights or in your gym bag to freshen up after a sweaty session. While these are great, my heart will always belong to my trusty Simple wipes.

Garnier Moisture Match

This tiny sachet was an added bonus in this months Bellabox and was quite light and not too heavy on the skin. The sample was too small though to see how it felt all over my face which was quite disappointing.

  

Lust Have It December 2014

I decided to give Lust Have It another shot after seeing a few Instagram posts with them featuring some really great products. Unfortunately even though they are including better products, their time management is still incredibly off. That is why I’m writing about the December box in January because the December box didn’t arrive until January, and the January box still hasn’t arrived. As usual the Lust Have It parcel comes in one of their fantastic mesh cosmetic bags that went straight to a good use. I’m collecting mine to divvy up the makeup in my bathroom and this one was used to house lip products.

LonVitalite C1 Cloth Mask

I have been wanting to try a cloth mask for quite a while, so I was crazy excited when I saw this LonVitalite mask in the December Lust Have It. It claims to be whitening, pigment toning and a moisturising mask; which would be just perfect for me because I still have a lot of pigmentation and redness on my skin from when I had terrible acne. I don’t know how much a mask could do to correct that, but it will be interesting to see the difference.

Designer Brands Extend-A-Brow

If there was ever a product to creep me out, this is it. This brow product is essentially hairs in a tube and is in a little lip gloss type packaging. You just swipe it across your brows to apply tiny little hair like fibers to plump up sparse brows. I can’t see how often I would be using it as I already have a pretty good brow routine down pat, so I might have to pass it on to a friend who isn’t as creeped out by tiny little fiber hairs.

Inika Pure Primer

The great thing about beauty boxes is that they force you to try products that you would not have gone out and purchased yourself, and I am so thankful for that. Without Lust Have It I wouldn’t have had the chance to try this primer that is vegan, certified organic, halal certified and not tested on animals. This smells amazing and is great on sensitive skin. I actually stopped using my beloved Stila primer in favour of this one and it just creates the most perfect base for foundation ever. You could have a giant hole in your face and this baby would probably cover it up. As much as I love my Stila primer for the colour correction, the magic that the Inika primer works on my skin is just too amazing. A new favourite for me.

The Cosmetic Kitchen Raw Chocolate Clay Mask

I am so excited to use this mask. It contains pink Australian clay and raw cacao powder and to apply it to your skin you just add mashed avocado olive oil and water. Sounds pretty tasty to me. I'm so used to constantly eating chocolate (I had easter eggs for breakfast this morning), so maybe having to put it on my face will give me some self control 

The Cosmetic Kitchen Raw Cacao Chocolate Rock Salt

I don’t take that many baths only because I’m way too tall for our bath, but this vegan, not tested on animals and proudly Australian product sounds way too delicious to pass up. They smell so amazing; I might just have to jump in the bath with my chocolate clay mask on to test them out.

MAC ATTACK

MAC isn't my favourite cosmetics brand, but it is one that continuously pops up throughout my makeup bag. Whenever I have to go somewhere that requires some fancy pants makeup, I always choose to get my makeup done at MAC because their makeup artists are just crazy wonderful magicians who really work their cosmetic magic on your face. So I thought I'd pop together a little blog post on my favourite products from the legendary cosmetic brand.

I am crazy terrible at false lashes. I can't put them on at all. I get the glue everywhere and the eyelashes always end up stuck on my fingers or halfway up my eyelids. I can also never cut them to the right length for my eyes, so when I get my makeup done at MAC, I always take the opportunity to get the lashes applied. That way they are cut to the perfect length and are a tiny bit easier to apply when I'm in my bathroom. After they are first applied you can get a couple more uses out of them but throw them away as soon as they look a bit mangled. 

This little compact is only $9 and it permanently lives in my handbag. One side is your average mirror and the other is super magnified, like the double sided cosmetic mirrors. This is so great to touch up tricky bits of your face like lip liners because it gives you a really great up close view. 

The Mineralize SkinFinish in Soft & Gentle is the most perfect champagne highlighter that adds the most beautiful glow all over your face. Most recently I wore this to my graduation and it just lasts all night. For an extra glowy finish, spray your powder brush with the MAC Fix+ spray after you have the highlighter on your brush and then apply to your face. It makes the highlighter so much more powerful and dewy looking. 

Left to Right; Studio Finish and Pro Longwear

The Studio Finish Concealer NW20 with SPF+ 35 is perfect for when you have something really intense you have to cover up. I'm talking giant pimples and bad discolouration. It is a really thick consistency and is great because it includes SPF and you can't have enough of that, because you can't find a concealer to cover up wrinkles can you? For days when you don't need an extreme amount of concealer the Pro Longwear Concealer in NW15 is perfect for foundation touch ups and light cover ups. It is also excellent to use over dark circles.

Left to Right; Redd and Magenta

I love love love the MAC lip pencils. They are probably my favourite products from MAC. They can be used as a traditional liner or all over the lips for an intense colour that WILL NOT BUDGE. It really won't, no matter what you do. They are all kinds of fantastic. 

The Espresso Matte Eyeshadow is the perfect shade for when your brows are not blonde but not brown either. This little pot of excellence is great for filling in brows or for a nice wash of colour over the eyelids. Multitasking products are the best products.

I have raved about this before and will never stop raving about it ok?! I've gone through many bottles and it is perfect to set or to refresh makeup whether you have dry or oily skin. It is just perfection. I have one in my car, handbag and in my bathroom. I can't get enough!

Rebel, Ruby Woo, Lady Danger and Viva Glam V

These are my four favourite lipsticks by MAC. I wore Rebel to my graduation and while it looks like a crazy dark gothic colour it comes out a beautiful magenta on the lips that matched my Ted Baker dress and Essie nail polish in Big Spender PERFECTLY. It's like these three brands teamed up to share a colour scheme. Ruby Woo is a classic darker shade of red that pretty much looks amazing on everyone. The shade gives you the classic old Hollywood pinup vibe; you can really see why it’s a best seller and the lipstick most worn by the beautiful Dita Von Teese. Lady Danger is my favourite daytime red because it is fun and punchy and the perfect mix of red and orange. Finally Viva Glam V is the perfect shimmery nude shade for ANY skin tone. It really looks amazing on anyone. It is super flattering.