Winter Essentials

It's Winter and both our fashion and skin care regime tends to change in the colder months. Here are my winter essentials which get me through those long winter months. 

1. I like to switch up my nail polish quite frequently and tend to match it to what colours I'm wearing - which in winter, is usually black or darker colours. These two nail polishes from O.P.I are perfect to accompany a darker outfit in winter. The colours are: 'Got the blues for red' and 'OPI ink'

2. My lips get chapped very easily in winter and let's face it - dried, cracked up lips isn't a good look. To keep mine soft and moisturised I use the Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub, followed with Lucas Pawpaw Ointment. I cannot say enough good things about both these products! 

3. As I match my nails to my outfit, I also do with my lips. I love a bold coloured lip and these colours are perfect for a pop of colour.

~ Mac Rebel (Satin)

~ Mac Ruby Woo (Matte)

~ Makeup Forever Rouge Artist Intense No. 48 

4. A scarf is a great "in between" clothing item; where it either may not be cold enough for a jacket or you simply are not warm enough with your jacket alone. It's practical, yet stylish and can be the stand out pop of colour in your outfit. Since I do wear a lot of black, I always wear bright coloured scarves like these red and blue ones. 

5. My skin is usually very oily, but in winter it does get the odd dry patch which doesn't make applying makeup easy. I like to keep my face hydrated with Mac Strobe Cream and my body with O.P.I Avojuice Ginger Lily hand & body lotion. Even though it is winter, you need to keep your skin protected from the sun by wearing sunscreen everyday. I like to use Neutrogena Anti-Wrinkle deep wrinkle daily moisturiser with SPF15. It doesn't leave my skin oily and is a great base for my makeup. 

6. A pair of black boots are a must in winter and are so versatile. I bought this heeled pair from Wittner Shoes last season and they're still going strong. They are so comfy and can be either dressed up or down. I also keep a good pair of black, flat boots on hand in winter for a great Sunday shopping outfit. 

I hope you've picked up a few winter tips from me and do let me know what your winter essentials are!

Make me up!

 

I love makeup is a bit of an understatement I guess! I'll take you through my beloved makeup collection and some of my favourite brands and where I buy products from.

 

I know you probably look at this collection and think, wow that's ALOT of makeup, but I have collected everything over a number of years not just overnight.

 

Starting at the base with primer and foundation; my staple primer is Benefit's Porefessional. I'm also loving Mac's Strobe Cream as an illuminating base under foundation. Speaking of, I'm always changing up my foundation and have never really stuck to one that I purchase over and over. Currently I'm loving the Chanel Vitalumiere Fluide Makeup in #20 Clair for a more natural, dewy finish.

 

My lipstick collection is probably my favourite! I recently did a post on my entire Mac lipstick collection, so be sure to check that out if you'd like to see swatches and names. Some of my favourites brands are Maybelline, YSL & Mac. I'm not a huge lip gloss user even though I do have quite a few. I love the colours and textures of the NYX Butter Glosses - so creamy! 

 

To highlight those dark and dreary under eyes, I love a number of concealers: Mac Pro Longwear, Rimmel Wake Me Up & Maybelline Age Rewind. Concealers always find a way to crease on me, but I find setting them with a powder slows down this process and makes it last longer.

 

While were on the topic of powder, some of the products above are:

Mac Mineralise Skinfinish, Chanel Natural Finish Pressed Powder, Nars blush in Orgasm, Bobbi Brown Bronzer in #1 Light. I'm yet to really explore a good mattifying face powder for oily skin. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave them below :)

 

My brushes of choice are Sigma and Real Techniques. I also am obsessed with the famous Beauty Blender!

 

I wear false lashes quite a lot when I go out. I think they just make my eyes appear a lot larger - which I love! I buy all my lashes from Madame Madeline. They're prices are very reasonable and the more you purchase, the cheaper the lashes! Bonus! I always use my Duo lash glue to apply and I got mine from America but you can buy it here.

 

My collection is kept neat and tidy inside my clear makeup box from The Makeup Box Shop. Not only is it handy to have everything in one place, but it looks pretty when you can see all your products :)

 

Well that just about sums it up! I hope you enjoyed looking into my makeup collection and  maybe it inspired you to be adventurous and try something new!



Current Skincare Routine

My skin has changed dramatically over the last six months and because of this, I've had to adapt my skin care routine. I have always had fairly clear skin, apart from the odd breakout and never had much oil - if anything I had a few dry patches. Since maybe November of 2013, my skin became very oily and acne prone all of a sudden. I just thought I was having a bad skin month, but turns out I wasn't. I've been trying different methods and products to combat this acne and will let you know what has been working for me. Please keep in mind, everyone's skin is different and these products might not work for everyone, they are products that work for me and this is just how I look after my skin currently. I also want to mention, you may notice I do not have a skin cleanser included. I'm trying to finish the one I currently have, before moving onto a new product I purchased a couple of weeks ago (Perricone MD, Hypoallergenic Gentle Cleanser) Will let you know down the track how it goes. But now onto the good stuff!!!

I've heard a lot of people speak highly of Michael Todd True Organics products and I agree with them all. They are certified vegan, 95% organic, very gentle skin care products. I am currently using the Cranberry Antiox Hydrating Anti-ageing Toner in my routine - I find this toner very refreshing on my face and really wakes up my skin when it's feeling dull. It gives my skin a clean feeling, without feeling tight or dry. 

There's been a lot of hype about the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water and comparisons to other products. To be honest I haven't tried the others but am so happy with this that I don't even want to go there. This magic water just dissolves my makeup off my face and is so gentle on my sensitive skin. The only bad thing I can say is that it won't take off waterproof makeup - other than that, I really love it and will be repurchasing mine as you can see it's almost finished. 

I'm always a bit sceptical about buying skincare products from non skincare specific companies. But in this case, I made a good choice buying the Chanel Hydra Beauty Serum. I have been using this for a good five months now and my skin is loving it! It hydrates my skin so well and feels very luxurious. It's a really great base before putting primers and makeup on. 

You can't go wrong with a bottle of Mac Fix +, it's such a versatile product. I use this product in a number of different ways; to hydrate my face before putting makeup, to set my makeup, to spray on my face during the day to hydrate, on my eyeshadow brush before applying eyeshadow to make the colours more vibrant or as a sticky base when using glitters on my eyelids. Its a fairly reasonable price for so many uses and I consider it a must have in my collection. 

Lucas' Pawpaw Ointment is another great multi-use product. I always make sure to carry it in my purse or take on holidays with me because your bound to use it for something. Not only is it great for chapped lips, but it helps to moisturise dry skin on the body, burns, open wounds, insect bites and the list goes on! I will continue to repurchase this beauty. 

I hope this has been helpful for you all and please let me know what your skincare staples are! 

It's a red kind of day...

I think you can tell after some of my recent posts...I love the colour red! It really brightens up a dull look by adding a pop of colour with some red accessories. I think it's a colour that looks beautiful on both fair and tanned skin - no matter if you add a scarf, flat shoe, red lipstick or like me, all of the above! 

My silk scarf is from Oroton and can be worn as either a scarf or shawl (seen above). My shoes are Country Road and lipstick is Mac - Ruby Woo. This is a blue based, red lipstick that will make your teeth appear whiter! 

So don't be afraid to add a colourful pop to your darker outfits and experiment with different colours you love to accessorise with.

Enjoy! 

Favourite Mac Lipsticks

Hi guys! I've decided to do a post on my Mac lipstick collection for you. Mac lipsticks are my favourite as they have a really nice texture, they are long lasting on the lips and there is a huuuge colour selection. I know this looks like a lot of lipsticks but i'd definately consider myself a lipstick junkie and have been growing my collection for a good few years now. You know how some people love eye shadows, some face products, well me I love lipsticks and they're always my go to when buying makeup items. Below is a list of each lipstick in order from left to right 

Hue - Glaze | Creme Cup - Creamsheen | Vegas Volt - Amplified | Pink Nouveau - Satin | Im-passioned - Amplified | All Fired Up - Matte | Pink Popcorn - Lustre | Creme De La Feme - Frost| Unlimited - Long Wear Lipcreme | Up the Amp - Amplified | Ruby Woo - Matte | Plumful - Lustre | Rebel - Satin |