Back from my hiatus :) Mini beauty haul + review of Sally Hansen Sheer Cream Blush

I certainly missed this blog! An entire 4.5 months has gone by so fast I barely got to catch my breath.  I am finally done with my Masters Degree!! Woo hooooooooooo :D There has been many ups and downs both in my professional, university and personal life, but I am still hopeful for that silver lining behind the cloud.

So to celebrate my completing the degree and also to cheer myself up from a rough time this past weekend, I decided to go on a mini shopping spree. Retail therapy teehee!

There's currently a 50% off promotion for the entire Rimmel range in My Chemist, so I decided to take advantage of it and went to test out the oh-so-famous-on-youtube "Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation".

After testing it out on my hands though, I must say that it's not for me. There are obvious shimmers in the foundation, which may suit skin that is more dry and perhaps smaller pores. Personally though, I don't quite like shimmer all over the face, but rather in specific locations - which is why I am particularly fond of highlighting my cheekbones and the inner corners of my eyes. My pores are relatively large and because of this I fear that the shimmers/glitter will only accentuate them. I also have oily skin, so I don't see this working for me.

I was rather disappointed, but then I turned to play around with other Rimmel foundations and fell in love with the texture and finish of their Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation! It's a light perfecting foundation, which give a satin finish - a perfect balance between glowy/dewy and completely matte.

The shade that I have is called Ivory 100!

Rimmel Match Perfection in 100 Ivory & Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Sheer Cream Blush in  01- Beaming

Ivory 100 is the lightest shade in the yellow undertone side of the range, which fits my skin tone perfectly. I have yet to actually try it on my face, but I think this might be one of my soon-to-be-favorites this next month!

The other beauty item I got today was the Sally Hansen Natural Beauty Sheer Cream Blush in 01-Beaming. I purchased its sister in 05-Bloom a few months ago (I think this was in a previous haul) and ended up loving it so much that I decided to get this shade as well.

The texture is not too creamy or sticky and blends in with the skin very nicely. It dries to a satin-finish which is very natural on the face.

In terms of longevity, because of my oily skin, it does tend to fade a bit, but I find that it works best as a base for other powder blushes as well! If I want the exact color, then I would powder very lightly. Otherwise, I layer another blush on top and it stays on all day for me.

Here are the pictures of the two shades and also the swatches!

Left - 01-Beaming// Right - 05-Bloom

 

 

 

Left 05-Bloom// Right 01-Beaming

Bloom is more of a medium pink, whilst Beaming has more of a peach undertone. The swatches on my wrist are more true to color than how they look in the pan in the pictures above.

Top - 01-Beaming// Bottom 05-Bloom

I highly recommend the cream blush as they are generally low-maintenance, appear very natural and are especially great when you're pressed for time.

xoxo

~A mini fashion haul/ retail therapy~

I don't usually post a lot of hauls, simply because I get too excited and then use the products straight away and then eventually get too lazy to feature them on here. This time, I've decided to get off the lazy wagon and share two purchases which I made recently - and by that I mean within the past 48 hours lol

The two items that I've purchased are a pair of black ankle booties and a new handbag. I was cruising and browsing randomly in the shoe section in Kmart - something which one should not do because you may easily come out with a pair which you didn't intend on getting when you entered the store - and came a cross this simple black ankle booties.

Now although it is technically summertime in Australia at the moment, we still get those very random days or weeks of 20C. This is precisely when I want a pair of booties that will work for those grey days in the summer, or even on a sunny day with a pair of shorts or a skirt for an edgy look. This piece will also very easily transition into fall and winter in the next few months. All in all, a piece that I know I will get so much use out of.

The heel is not real wood, but it felt sturdy regardless. The heel adds just a bit of height, but not too high that it will make yo feel uncomfortable to walk on for the whole day. I know I can pop these on in a hurry (the side zipper makes this pair so easy to slip on) and walk out the door looking more 'put-together' without the effort.

The cut of the front of the booties are slightly curved, and not simply just cut straight across, which I personally feel is more flattering on anyone, especially for a chubby girl like myself. :) And the best part? This baby was a mere $19-$20 AUD! Loveeee


Then today I went back to Chaddy again and tried testing the booties out. Turns out they were absolutely comfortable on, especially given that I spent a good 3-4 hours of walking and standing and shopping. I was on the lookout for a new bag that was big enough to fit all of the things I need for uni in, chic/classic without the brand name price tag, and goes with everything in every season. And fell in love with one from Colette.

Ready?

Isn't this beautiful? Now I took the paper stuffing out so the shape's slightly different than the one on display, as it's usually a bit more 'puffy' but I love this! The nude and black colors are classic and can transition into any season. The gold detailing is great and adds a sense of luxury. The latch isn't too flimsy (a problem which I had with my other Colette bag - a review to come soon). The faux snake/crocodile skin makes the nude not too boring. The size is not too big, not too small for me. 

It also comes with a large strap so you have the option of hanging the bag across your body with the strap.

The lining on the inside was pretty well-made, and there were partitions or dividers inside the bag, which makes it easier to find things and be organised.

Here's the back - 

I'm seriously loving this bag! It was $49.95 AUD, which isn't cheap but nor was it unbelievably expensive. (Sorry for the clutter in the background - I'm currently re-organising my room).

Once I actually use it, I might do a full review of how it performs in real life. For now though, I'm very happy with both of the purchases I made.

xoxo

Bourjois Special Promotion + HAUL :)

So I was looking for a new waterproof mascara in Priceline when I saw the advertisement in store about the new Bourjois promotion! For a limited time only, if you spend $25 or more, you'll get a free makeup bag with three Bourjois items inside!

So to make that $25 cut-off point, I got two things - the Volume Clubbing Mascara in Waterproof and the So Laque Nail polish in Beige Glamour.

I really wanted to get the Volumizer Mascara that has the two-step mechanism, but it doesn't say that it's waterproof on the package, so I decided not to. Non-waterproof mascaras have an extremely high tendency to not hold curl and more importantly - they tend to create 'panda eyes'!! :(

Close up of Beige Glamour.

Beige Glamour is a bit darker in real life, with a more beige/brown tint to it. Pretty, feminine and appropriate for all occasions, especially for work. I tried it today and  the color is creamy and absolutely lovely. It is now my holy grail nail polish!!

Now onto the freebies!

The bag itself is pretty cute - loving the bright pink stripes. It's made of plastic - it has the exact same smell and texture as those lifesavers at the pool haha

All of the bags contain the same items -

One nail polish in bright juicy watermelon pink (43 Magenta Show), one mascara (Volume glamour max definition) and one eyeshadow quad (05 rose vintage).

My favorite color is pink, so obviously I'm thrilled with all this pink overload.

Volume Glamour Max Definition - 51 Max Black

Sadly this one isn't waterproof, but I will give it a try some time, probably with mascara base underneath.

43 Magenta Show - a fun, super bright watermelon pink!

Having tried Beige Glamour, I am definitely excited to give this one a go later on, especially in the summer!

Eye shadow quad in Rose Vintage

The colors look almost brown in the photo, but in person they are definitely pink. The light color on the left is a light white-pink, the middle color is a slightly darker pink-white, whilst the bottom right color is a deep burgundy-like color with pink-purple undertones. Hm I've just realized how bad I am at describing these colors lol btw all of these are shimmery!

Swatches -

The pigmentation for the two lighter colors is okay, but the darkest one is actually quite nice.

Gotta love freebies and spacial promotions, eh!

xx

A little Priceline/Gloss Haul (Bourjois, Rimmel, V05, Sally Hansen)

Thanks to Jodi from GooRoo Beauty -
(she's a gorgeous beauty blogger and youtuber from Australia - one of my absolute favorites! <3 You can find her blog here: http://www.gooroobeauty.net/)

I found out about a bourjois offer online that gets you $10 off of any bourjois purchase at Priceline! You can just go to www.bourjoisoffer.com.au and you will receive a barcode and numbers. Just show this number (I showed mine from my iPhone) to the person at the cashier and receive your $10 discount :) This offer is valid until AUG 31st.

As usual, a "quick stop" by Priceline for "just one product" never works. I ended up getting two other products hehe. Here's an overview of all the things I got (Priceline + Gloss)

An overview of the items from the little shopping spree!

With the $10 discount, I decided to jump on this opportunity to get the Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation that has so many people have raved about!  I wasn't sure about how to match my color, so the lady in Priceline helped me pick out one, and she recommended me the shade 52 - Vanilla.

I do not own any foundations because it feels uncomfortable on my skin. I have sensitive skin that sways between the two extremes of being very dry and then at times very oily. My dermatologist told me once that I had oily skin, but it gets dehydrated very easily.

For this occasion I specifically wanted a foundation or BB cream with NO SPF because I wanted to wear it during night time when I go out, as anything with spf will flash back when photos are taken. Not to mention it makes my face glow weirdly in certain club lighting (I've had parts of my face glow in the dark before, and trust me, you don't want that -__-') With this foundation, I would still be able to put on my sunscreen underneath for day time wear as well. Yay for doubling up!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in shade 52 Vanilla

I tried this foundation on my skin in the store and fell in love with the finish. It was not overly matte nor dewy. It had the right amount of glow without making me look oily. The texture was nice as well, not overly runny nor thick. It felt comfortable to wear on the skin. I have yet to wear it for a whole day so I can't comment on the longevity of the product (though the 16-hr claim is unlikely), but so far, yes, it is simply a beautiful product.  Love this!

V05 Hot Oil Treatment

With the harsh winds from winter and constant hot showers, my hair has been getting more and more dry. I wanted to get a hair treatment that is budget-friendly (this one was around $5-$6) and one that I can use perhaps once or twice a week. This little set came with 4 tubes, and one tube is more than enough to thoroughly coat my long hair. I Probably won't be using it any more often than that, as it is very rich and I don't want my hair to get too oily. I tried it yesterday and so far, with just one use, I definitely feel the difference! My hair felt more smooth and soft, so again, LOVE LOVE LOVE. If next week the results are the same, this would no doubt be my holy grail hair treatment product.

Rimmel Match Perfection Blush in Light

There was a 20% off the entire range of products for Rimmel @ Priceline, so I couldn't resist. This blush was absolutely beautiful. It's a perfect everyday neutral beige-pinky-peachy shade shows up more peachy on my yellow skin tone. For approx. $11 for 15g (!!) of product, this is a great deal. I use this with my Eco Tools Buffing Brush and it works wonderfully! Here's another picture of the product which I edited - just so you can see the imprinted design on the product more clearly.

Will you look at the beautiful design pressed onto the blush? So cute!! The packaging is just like the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder line. There are two other colors - Medium and Dark. I am considering going back to Priceline to see the other colors since I love this one so much.
(Better save money? lol) Anyhoos. LOVE LOVE LOVE this.

And lastly, my nails have been peeling like crazy, so I wanted to try a Sally Hansen Nail treatment. I love nail polish, but I also work in a restaurant, so my hands and nails really suffer from that. (Think detergents, cooking, handling food, etc. etc.) I found this one at Gloss for approx. $5, which wasn't bad at all. So I decided to give it a try.

Sally Hansen Marine Extract Nail Treatment

I have been using this for maybe two days now, and to be honest, so far it is actually kind of working! I'm quite surprised. My thumb nail was peeling so I put on two layers of this product before I go to bed. Now the nail looks more moisturized and the peels are smoother. I'll give it the full 5 days to compare with the claims on the package, but so far, again this is a good product.

It appears I got really lucky this round, since I am loving all of the items I bought in this haul so far! Yayyyyyy

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by ^___^

xoxo