My Top 10 Favourite Products of 2016

2016, what a strange year. In general, a lot of things happened that honestly were pretty terrible. But personally, I had a great year. I welcomed the New Year in Paris and spent the rest of the month travelling around the UK, with 2 of those weeks in London. I graduated from university, I turned 21, went on my first date (yes this is a significant milestone for myself!), got my first full time job, and have started planning a big move to the other side of the world! 2017 is only going to be bigger and better and I can't wait to see what it brings me. But lets get onto the real reason for this post, my favourite bits of makeup I have used this year.

Looking Festive in the Heat

Looking festive I find is hard in the Australian Summer. All these tutorials are going up with amazing eye looks and berry lips, but I can't wear too much in the Summer before my face starts to melt off. Also the darker colours don't really match the weather down under. So I've found some products that will help me express the festive mood but also scream Summer while also staying on my face during the searing heat.

5 Last Minute Gifts For Any Woman In Your Life

I love giving gifts at Christmas time but sometimes it can be a bit of a struggle trying to find the right gift for everyone. Men are so hard to buy for because from my experience they don't talk about what they want or love all the time like us girls. But if your in a bit of a pickle this festive season, here a five gift ideas for any lovely lady in your life.

CHANEL Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder

Not going to lie, I think this is my most expensive beauty purchase to date. But I did get it at 10% off, so that's why I justified buying it. It is not my first Chanel purchase ever, which is the Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation. When i went to buy it, she applied the foundation then added the powder on top. And that's when I fell in love. However, at the time I was a poor student so I only got the foundation so the powder just got added to my long wishlist. And now here I am, one full-time job and a 10% Myer sale later.

The Bronze Eyeshadow Edit

There is nothing I love more to wear than a good simple bronze eyeshadow swept over the lid. Bronze is a shade that everyone can pull off and is great for a daytime look or can be made smokey for a more nighttime look. Even though I have plenty of bronze eye shadows, I can still never resist purchasing one or two on a trip to Mecca Cosmetica.

NARS Blush in Outlaw

When people think of blush, one of the first brands to spring to mind would be NARS. Their blushes are some of the most talked about and probably one of the best known blushes in the beauty world is their shade Orgasm. The combination of a great range of colours, the vivid pigmentation, and the not so subtle names are what makes them so popular. Naturally I have two, Deep Throat, a peach with shimmer, like Orgasm but less sparkle, and Outlaw, a light berry shade.

September Playlist | 2016

I think that this months playlist can be summarised like this; oh my goodness, I like Justin Bieber? I never used to like the Biebs, his music, especially the "Baby" phase, every time I heard that song I would have the urge to chuck appliances at the walls. But lately, I am so surprised at how I've been enjoying his songs. Mind you they are both collabs so it's not entirely his own, but it's progress right? "Let Me Love You" has been one of my favourite car jams for my early morning trips to the station.

New Finds At Priceline

I haven't been traipsing around the aisle of Priceline for a while, but a few weeks ago looking for a spot for lunch close to my work, I stumble across one. This is very dangerous being a minutes walk away from one. But at the same time it's a blessing as it doesn't seem too busy so there is always heaps of stock and the first NYX stand I've seen in Perth! So naturally I went looking for a few new things to try out.

Soft Gold Smokey Eye with NARS Isolde | MOTD

The other night, I went to concert by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra and it was phenomenal! Every time I leave one of those concerts (I try and go as frequently as possible) I feel so inspired and want to practice my flute even more! It did the trick while I was at uni, I made sure I went to a performance a few weeks out from any of my performances. But I love to get dressed up and go, and do my makeup all fancy. So this is how I did a soft smokey gold eye for a night at the orchestra!

What I've Read Recently #4

Ever since I started my new job a month ago and I've been catching the train to work, I have been reading non stop. Even though public transport takes longer than a car ride, it's nice to just sit for a good 20 minutes and read. I've been reading some really good books lately, and as usual, I would love to talk about them with you!

Make Up For Ever Step 1 Primers | REVIEW

Everyone went a bit nuts when Make Up For Ever released their range of Step 1 Primers. They come in so many different types; brightening, smoothing, colour correcting, hydrating, and mattifying. I am on a never ending quest to find a primer that will control my oil but not dry my skin out. So with this huge range, I thought this would be a great opportunity to test out a few considering they come in small and large sizes.I picked up the Mattifying and Smoothing ones, because I felt like these would be the ones that are more suited to my oily/combo and acne prone skin. 

The Monthly Edit | August 2016

This month has been absolutely crazy! I got a new full time job! Goodbye retail and hello corporate world! Also hello money! The Olympics was on and I became glued to the TV for two weeks. I love watching all the athletes achieve their goals and the emotions after they win. But secretly I'm disappointed if the Aussies missed out on gold (which seemed to be most of the time). But they did so well and congratulations to all the athletes who competed. It must be an amazing feeling to represent your country at such at the highest level.

August Playlist | 2016

I fell like this month I've been listening to a lot more music. I've just started working in the city so I catch public transport for half and hour twice a day, so I have heaps of time to listen to music and really focus on it. Even though I've been listening to a lot of new music this month, I've been loving scrolling through the playlists on Spotify for some old gems!

Simple Makeup for Work

So exciting news guys, I now have a full time job! Yay! I'm going to talk more about that in a future post but I'm am so chuffed. I finally feel like a real adult now with a stable job. But this adult life entails getting up at 5:30 am to be out the house just before 7 am. Not cool. So I've been sticking to the same products for the last few weeks to have a steady routine. All these products are ones that I know will last on me throughout the day.

Benefit Gimme Brow | Review

After seeing Benefit's relaunch of their cult brow products and some new additions to the range, I decided it was time to invest in one of their most famous products. Benefit Gimme Brow is a tinted brow gel that has fibers to help thicken your eyebrows. It comes in 3 shades now, instead of the previous range of two, and I am in love with the packaging!

Mecca Cosmetica Wishlist

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Dragon Girl | Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara | Too Faced Mr Right Brush | Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure | Sunday Riley Luna Oil
Diptyque Baies Candle | Origins Original Skin  Mask with Rose Clay | Stila Liquid Lipstick in Caramello | Stila Eyes Are The Window Spirit Palette

Lately, I've been feeling the urge to spend. I just recently got a new job and I've used up a few things in my makeup collection. But I've got to start saving a bit more money, so my wishlist is growing bigger and bigger. These are the products that are definitely up the top of the wishlist. Especially the Sunday Riley Luna Oil, I've wanted to up my skincare game for a while and this seems to be the product that everyone raves about.

What's on your beauty wishlist?

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A Little Sephora Purchase

So after getting my tax money back and putting the majority of it into savings, I decided to treat myself to a little bit of makeup from Sephora. I have wanted to contour for the longest time but I've always shied away from it. Either because I can never find a colour that would go well with my pale skin or I was afraid that I would do it so terribly and it would look horrid!

The AM & PM Routine Tag

I have seen this tag floating around the blogging world for a while now, and I thought why not put my two cents in and do my own answers for the the tag. I like this one because it is a little different to others, this one is almost a "getting ready" and "get unready with me" post but it's in question and answer form. So here are my answers to the tag!

The Monthly Edit | July 2016

So one month into the second half of the year and a few exciting things have happened for me this month. I have been doing some work experience at a big company and I have loved every minute of it! The people their have been so lovely with me and have helped me develop my skills a lot and also helped me with preparing for an interview, which I was successful in! So maybe in a few weeks, I might be a full time employee which is exciting.

Stila Aqua Glow Serum Concealer | Review

I have been on the quest for a great under eye concealer for a while now, and one I have decided to give a go is the recently released Stila Aqua Glow Serum Concealer. I did want to try the newer bareMinerals one but the lightest shade is too dark which seems to be a problem I face a lot now. There needs to be more shades added to certain ranges to cater for both ends of the skin colour spectrum, it's not just a pale gal problem. I am on the hunt for a concealer during the day, because while I love my MAC Pro Longwear, it is a bit full on for everyday wear for me personally.

My Mecca Beauty Loop Box Level 3 | July 2016

This trimester's box is a bit different to ones they have previously released before. Instead of having regular samples put in, usually they have the same products for every box in that level but products vary between the different levels. However this one, they feature products that their staff love. Their are 11 products selected for Level 3 but you will get a random selection of four in your box. I think it's great to have samples of products that people already love, especially people who know a lot and get to test out a lot of products all the time.

What I've Been Reading Recently #3

At the present moment, I'm in a bit of a reading slump and it means I am falling behind on my goal of 25 books to read for the Goodreads Reading Challenge. But about a month ago, I was on a roll and read a few books back to back. I borrowed a few books off my Aunt yesterday, who is an avid reader, and hopefully they can get me back into the reading mood.

July Playlist | 2016

The most prominent part of my month of music was my rediscovery of my love for John Newman. I loved his first album Tribute but I don't know why but I never got around to listening to his follow up, Revolve. However the other week, he released his new single Ole`, which is written by Calvin Harris and is "supposedly" about the whole HiddleSwift situation. At first I wasn't to keen on it because it sounded different to his previous stuff, but after a few listens I am totally addicted! So I've been listening to his second album on repeat and it's amazing stuff, his voice is amzing and makes me weak at the knees!

Pinterest Love | Dream Apartment

Pinterest is like a black hole, once you get in, there is no way out as you scroll through the never ending feed. There are some nights where I get on Pinterest for what feels like 10 minutes and I look at the time and it's about an hour later, my bad. I love how I can have an online mood board for all my ideas and inspiration, especially for stuff that is really far forward in the future, like having my own apartment.

5 Of My Favourite Blogs

Ever since being introduced to the world of blogging a few years ago, I still can't get enough. I love going on to my Bloglovin feed and scrolling through all the blogs I follow and reading them all in bulk. So here are 5 of my favourite reads!

What's On My Bedside Table

The best feeling after a long day, especially in winter is to curl up in bed with a snugly doona and just have a few minutes to relax before you hit the hay. I am not one of those people who can hop straight into bed, lights out, then drift off to sleep. I have to be sitting in bed for a while and then I will start trying to fall asleep. I wish I could fall asleep quickly, but that only happens when I have jet lag. So here is what I keep beside my bed to ensure I get a healthy dose of beauty sleep.

The Tales of a False Lash Newbie + Helpful Tips

False lashes have always scared me. Back in the day when I did dancing, I remember the mums sticking these on my eyelids, and having the feeling that there were weights on my eyes through they day and I had blinkers on. The next experience with these came when I had my makeup done for my recital last year, and I loved the way they looked. So since then, I've been trying to wear them more often and practice my application of them.

Empties #10

We made it to empties number 10, yay! I feel like it's been only a few weeks since I did the last one but I seem to have accumulated a lot in a short space of time. As usual you get to peek into my trash and see what I've finished, and what my thoughts are, positive or negative.

The Monthly Edit | June 2016

At the beginning of this month, I said that I would be having a spending ban on makeup. And I am happy to announce that I made it through! YAS! Even though I did a haul this month, all the makeup was paid for in May so it doesn't count. Sneaky? Yes. But still in May!

What I've Been Reading Recently #2

As I've talked about before, I've embarked on a reading challenge this year to read 25 books. I've been tracking my progress on Goodreads, you can follow me here, and I'm right on track! The year started off slowly but over the last 2 months I've been reading a lot more and it makes me feel really good!

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette | Review

Not gonna lie, I ate that chocolate bar straight after taking the photo. But this post isn't about my love affair with chocolate, but it's pretty damn close. The Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette ($72) not only looks like a chocolate bar but smells like one too. This had been on my want list for a very long time so after receiving some vouchers for my birthday, I finally picked it up.

A US Beauty Haul With Shop and Box

So a few days before I embarked on my spending ban for the month of June, I made a sneaky order on Shop and Box with a friend. Shop and Box are a shopping service where you create a wishlist of things you want from a certain country, mine was for the US, and then you get paired with a shopper from that country and they buy all your items and co-ordinate the shipping. You do have to pay them a service fee but it is definitely worth it and the people are always super helpful and makes everything easy to understand. This is the second time I have made an order through them, you can check out my first order and experience here.

June Playlist | 2016

This month in music has been all about discovering and falling in love again with Adele. I love her new single "Send My Love", and I've been listening to her whole new album and everything else. I watched her show she did with Graham Norton and she seems like the most down to earth person and she is absolutely hilarious! I would love to be friends with her! And her voice! UGH! Also, I was talking to some friends about our favourite Justin Timberlake songs the other day and I mention "Signs", which is technically a Snoop Dog song, but how could anyone forget this little gem! Such a good song to dance around your room to!

What have you been listening to this month?

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Pinterest Love | Style & Shoes

Lately I've been on a pinning spree. I feel like there are some aspects of my life and myself that I think need a bit of change, not because they aren't great but just be a bit different and do different things. And one of them is my wardrobe. I feel like everything is more or less the same, and I want to get some pieces that I know I will love and I'm willing to pay a bit more for something than I can keep for a long time.

The Parcel By Marie Claire | The Winter Edit 2016

I am so bad when it comes to keeping track of things. I had no idea when this was arriving so when the post man showed up with this in his hands, it was a nice surprise. However I was anxious to see what was inside because I was quite disappointed with the last one I got, which you can read about here. But I think they have listened to what people have said about the last one, and this season's box is an improvement on the last.

Rose Gold Smokey Eye With MAC's Tan Pigment

I have always been very afraid of using pigments because a) they seem messy, and b) my eyeshadow game is not very strong. But I told myself, I won't get any better if I don't keep trying new things and practicing new techniques. I took this as a sign to go shopping and I ended up getting the MAC Pigment in Tan. I thought this would be a good colour to start with because it's neutral and I could wear it day or night to any occasion.

My Evening Pamper Essentials

There is nothing better than coming home from a long day at work and treating yourself to some me time, #treatyoself. It just relaxes you and preps you for a great night of beauty sleep.  So pop on some Netflix, grab a book, or pop on a Spotify playlist and get ready to be relaxed.

The Monthly Edit | May 2016

The month of May has been a quiet month. Nothing much has happened which is good in some ways but bad in others. I've been doing some work experience which involves social media which has been so interesting. It was something that I was interested in learning more about and I feel like I have learnt a lot while I have been there.

Evening Skincare Routine

I recently talked about my morning skincare routine, so course my evening skincare routine is up next. My night time routine is anything fancy either, the only time it changes is if I add a mask into the mix. Even though I love wearing and putting on makeup, nothing beats the feeling off taking it off and cleaning your skin!

Empties #9

I went to chuck something in my empties bag and saw it was over flowing so this post is definitely due. It's always satisfying use up a whole product and I love hearing everyone's thoughts on a product they have obviously used up. 

My Morning Skincare Routine

Skincare is something that I have realised over the past year is probably the most important thing you can do to help your makeup application. I have been trying a lot of things recently but I have stuck to the same products now for about a month so I thought I would share them with you.

May Playlist | 2016

Another month, another playlist. This month I've been seriously loving listening to the current The 1975 album, and  Change of Heart has fast become one of my favourites. The CD has been in my car for the past month and I'm still loving it! I also started listening to Melanie Martinez and I've realised why everyone raves about her! Got a bit of George Harrison in there, and The Archies, very retro!

My Picks From Maybelline

Maybelline would have to be one of my favourite brands in the drugstore. Their price point is spot on and the quality of most of their products is of a pretty high standard that would rival some of the higher priced brands.Even though I love most of the Maybelline products I've tried, there are some that have disappointed me. But that's not what I am here to talk about today, I'm here to celebrate the products that I love from the brand.

Products That Are Worth The Hype

I believe that I don't give into the hype too easily, especially when it comes to new products. I like to read and watch a lot of reviews before I go out and spend my money on it. Maybe it's because I don't have the ability to splurge money on every beauty product that comes out to test or maybe because I really don't want to waste my money. But these products are ones that after doing lots of research, I bought and they were as good or even better than people claimed them to be.

My 3 Easy Money Saving Tips

As you know, I am a shopaholic. I like to spend lots of my money on lots of things. But, I feel like lately, I have been saving a bit more and spending less. Don't get me wrong, I still like a good shop but these days I'm more conscious of my money, as I'm try to save for a few big things like a new laptop and new tires for my car, living the adult life.  The way that I save money are what I think works for me, but may not be the way you would like to save. I prefer putting away small amounts often as it feels like I still have enough to treat myself with something. I think these are perfect because your saving little amounts at a time, and it's easy to accumulate a lot!

Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Foundation Review

I am always on the lookout for a perfect base for my skin. One that has enough coverage to cover my acne but won't feel heavy on my skin. One that is easy to blend out and is pale enough for my stark white skin. And I may have found one that ticks those boxes.

The Monthly Edit | April 2016

Doing a monthly favourites post, I've always felt the pressure to pick out products to feature even if they haven't been a favourite, just to have a post. This month, I want to try something a bit different that I have been wanting to do for a long time. More of a monthly edit, talking about everything that has happened this month, things I have loved that aren't just beauty related, and a general round up of what's been happening on my blog this month.

Shades of Autumn

The magical season of Autumn is upon us in Australia and I couldn't be more excited! The temperature drops, rain is more frequent, and I can now snuggle up in my doona! #bliss. This season brings all my favourite colours back in trend with all the burgundys, bronzes, and plums. I want to show you my favourite products and colours for this beautiful season!

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation Review

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation is a cult classic foundation that has been talked about for so many years. But it seems to be a product that people either love or hate. Many complain that the finish is fake, or that the formula is too thick, but others love the finish, and say that the lasting power is amazing. I am one of the latter group of people, who love this foundation. I gave in to the hype a month ago and I haven't looked back.

April Playlist | 2016

April has been the month of new discoveries in music and also the return of one of my favourites. The Last Shadow Puppets have returned with a new album and it's as lush as the first one. Alex Turner's voice makes me weak at the knees, it's so velvety. I've been loving listening to Little Mix this month which is weird because I never liked them before and I haven't listened to as much pop music, but I'm loving there newer album.

Warmer Scents For The Cooler Months

Perfume is something I love but my collection is not massive. For me, my love of the perfume has to be so strong that I will buy it without second thoughts, I don't want one that I'm not sure about. And especially because it can be pretty pricey. Most of the time, my birthday wishlists mostly consist of perfumes. I used to be all about the fresh and floral scents, and I still am, but lately I've been loving some of the richer scents in the cooler seasons. *cue the bad scent descriptions, I wish smell-o-vision was a thing*

My Current Netflix Picks

Netflix is a deep deep hole that is a struggle to get yourself out of. I've been down that hole many times in the past month. after finishing uni and not having a full time job yet, I have a lot of spare time. There are some seriously good shows and movies on Netflix that I have been addicted to.